Holmcross Project
by HolmcrossProject
Summary: Set 1000 years ago during the first Demon War, this is the story of the Holmcross Soldiers used during the last desperate days.
1. Prologue

Holmcross Project

Prologue: Awake again…

_**[System restart…]**_

_That was impossible; there was no one alive to awaken him now. But, still, he could feel himself being pulled from the grips of what he intended to be an eternal stasis, distant voices reaching his ears. And cold…why was it so cold…?_

"_Hey, he's alive after all!" Another man's voice cried in surprise. "Rudy, what did you do?"_

"_Nothing…I just touched his shoulder." A boy's voice replied, his voice almost a whisper._

"_Are you the one who woke me?" Lips unused for what felt like decades said, as the man curled up in the human-size ARMs case slowly uncurled and sat up. Blue-green eyes gazed into orange ones, a man looking towards the boy standing with a hand still on the man's shoulder. The boy looked flustered and pulled his hand away, his other arm grasping that one awkwardly. "Why?"_

"_You ask 'why', but we honestly didn't know you were alive!" A girl with short, blonde hair replied. "When we saw you inside we thought this was a grave!"_

"_It was intended to be." The man replied shortly. "Why have you awakened me? Are the Demons back?"_

"_We don't even know who the heck you are!" A blonde man said, walking over. "Why would we intentionally wake you up? We thought this was a treasure chest! Anyway, sorry, but the Demons are all dead. Have been for a few years."_

"_Dead…?" The man breathed. "All of them? Even Alhazad?"_

_The blonde man frowned. "Yeah. You seem shocked."_

"_I had been trying to kill him for years before his sealing." The man said, slowly standing up. The blonde man noticed he was shivering and offered his trench-coat. The man took the jacket and looked at it thoughtfully, an almost confused expression on his face, before he pulled the jacket on and secured it shut over his light clothes, the dirty brown an odd contrast to his light-blue hair. "Thank you."_

"_I'm Jack," The blonde man said. "This girl is Cecilia, and the one who apparently woke you is Rudy. Who are you?"_

"…_I am H-08: Wesson." He looked at Rudy. "…You can use the ARM, can't you? And not like other humans."_

_Rudy looked at his right arm awkwardly, shaking his head._

"_Rudy's…not a human." Cecilia explained. "He's…well, we were told this at least. He's a Holmcross, made of Living Metal."_

"…_Really?" Wesson's eyes brightened. "So…he must be little H-09."_

"_Explain what the 'H-0number' thing is, please?" Jack looked annoyed._

"'_H' stands for 'Holmcross'." Wesson explained. "The numbers are the order we were made in."_

"'_We'?" Jack shook his head. "Wait, you mean that YOU'RE one, too? I heard Rudy was the last!"_

"_As far as everyone knew, there were none left. Little 9—Rudy—being discovered must've been a recent development. Otherwise, I doubt he would've lived this long." Wesson said grimly._

"_Why?" Cecilia asked. "Rudy hasn't hurt anyone, ever!" She shook her head quickly in disbelief._

"_Doesn't matter. You heard all Holmcross were dead, well, we didn't ALL die by the Demons' hands." Wesson said, climbing out of the box and closing it, sighing. "I'm getting a little ahead of myself. The only way you'll understand is if I tell you of when things really began to change for us."_

"_When was that?" Rudy asked quietly, looking at him._

"_You might wanna pull up a rock." Wesson suggested, reaching into his box and pulling out a revolver and old, dusty goggles. "This might take a while."_

"_Wait, Emma and Jane might want to hear this!" Cecilia ran into the other room._

_Wesson blinked. "There's more people?"_

_Rudy gave an apologetic smile and settled himself down on a rock._

_A blonde girl with an orange dress and an older woman with green hair and glasses were ushered in by Cecilia. "Emma, Jane, this is Wesson. He's apparently what Rudy is."_

"_Sounds like we're gonna hear his life-story." Jack said, settling himself down. "If you don't wanna be bored, walk out now."_

"_Jack, be nice!" A voice from Jack's pocket squeaked, and then a blue mouse head poked out. "He's just woken up after, what, 1000 years? Let him have his closure."_

"_Fine, fine. Wesson, this is Hanpan. He's—"_

"_A wind-mouse." Wesson smiled, his eyes brightening. "I haven't seen one of those since I was stationed near one of the Elw encampments. They had the most forest, you know."_

"_Yeah, we've seen their place." Jack remarked, thinking of the Elw dimension._

_Wesson sighed softly. "Well, as Miss Cecilia said, I am H-08: Wesson."_

"_Let's hear your story." Emma said, seating herself down on a piece of ruined building. "For one thing, what is this place?"_

"_This place? An old, abandoned ARMs factory." Wesson said, nodding towards the crumbled building. "All kinds of things were made here. But, it was discontinued before I went to sleep." He closed his eyes. "So…let's go back to seven years before the war with the demons ended. I think all the big trouble started around the time that we returned from that evacuation mission in Harvey's Corner…."_


	2. Year 1, Chapter 1: Mission End

"H-04! A lovely day, isn't it?" A man said as he came out to swab the deck of the ship. A young, blonde, uniformed man with shoulder-length hair was standing at the railing of the ship, the wind blowing his clothes and hair off to the left as he held his hair out of his face.

"Yes, it is." The man looked towards the deck-swabber, the pistol ARM at his side bumping against his hip as he turned. "And, it's alright to call me 'Luger', you know. I rarely go by my number unless I'm talking to a senior officer."

The man laughed. "Alright, I'm sorry. I'm still getting used to it, I suppose. Well then, Luger, are you glad to be going home?"

"This ship IS my home, but I am glad to be returning to Adlehyde. I have missed the castle and its library." Luger admitted.

"And the young princess, no doubt?" The man grinned. "You seem so fond of her."

"'Fond' isn't really something I can manage." Luger said, walking over to the door. "I do enjoy her company, though. She teaches me much about humans."

"Mmm…I bet you'll be saying differently in time." The man chuckled.

"Perhaps." Luger opened the door and walked inside, heading down the hallway.

"Hey, Luger." A blue-haired teenager grinned, leaning against the wall. "Me and Springfield were gonna find Wesson and Nils, get some lunch. Join us?"

"You sure are acting rather relaxed, considering your blunder." Luger frowned. "Imagine what Jaivan will do when he hears, Colt."

"I did fine." Colt waved it off and walked down the hall with his hands tucked into his pockets. His red-haired companion followed quietly, a book in his hands.

"We'll see." Luger said, walking after them. "Where ARE the two troublemakers?"

"Oh, most likely making a mess of things trying to kill each other." Colt said, grinning. "Aren't they just adorable that way?"

"I'm pretty sure it's all Nils trying to kill Wesson for something miniscule." Springfield said, not looking up from his book. "Wesson doesn't really have the capacity to try to kill someone he's close to. He adores him too much, something we can't really comprehend."

"You're gonna hit someone." Colt remarked, and then quickly dodged as a blur of blue and camo ran past him, slamming into Springfield. "Whoa!"

"Owww!" The blur had hit the ground, a small blue-haired boy rubbing his head. "Oops! Sorry, Springfield!"

"…It's fine." Springfield said, picking up his book and standing. "I had a bookmark already in place."

"What were you running from?" Luger asked. A moment later, that question was answered when an annoyed-looking preteen stepping out of a room. "Ah. Hello, Nils. We're going to go eat. Join us?"

Nils shook soot off himself and scowled. "I'm already having a Wesson sandwich!"

"What did he do this time?" Luger asked, moving to block Nils' path to Wesson.

"I accidentally screwed up a mixture he was making in the munitions lab." Wesson said sheepishly. "Read something wrong, put in the wrong thing and it poofed into smoke."

"Well, get yourself cleaned up, Nils, and start over after lunch. It's an easy mistake." Luger assured him. "We'll be back in Adlehyde by tonight, so let's try to be intact enough to report on the mission."

Wesson looked down glumly. "Poor Harvey's Corner."

Nils looked ready to strangle someone, but relented and left to go get cleaned up. Luger sighed. "Wesson? Next time, don't help. You don't have a head for munitions."

"Yes, sir…" Wesson said, sheepishly tugging at his left sleeve.

After Nils cleaned up and rejoined them, they went to the cafeteria. Inside, the other soldiers were talking amongst themselves, but it all stopped short and silent when Colt kicked the door open and walked in, the others behind him. "Springfield, can you secure our table? I'm gonna escort the kids to get food."

"I can get my own food!" Wesson insisted, heading for the line. "I'm ten years old, I'm a big boy!"

Springfield looked at Colt who shrugged before laughing, then turned to "secure their table" as Colt suggested. "Ten years is not as wise as one might think." He remarked, sitting down and continuing to read.

"All he DOES is read." Colt remarked, watching him from the lunch line.

"It's a good practice. It might do YOU some good to read, Colt." Luger said, smirking a bit. "Maybe cool your head a little."

"Psh. I prefer being active in the gym to reading. I'm no good with sitting around." Colt stretched his arms out, yawning. "Just being in this line bores me!"

"How the hell do you manage to stand at attention then?" Nils muttered, holding out his tray for a plate of mashed potatoes to be placed on it.

"He's Colt; he can manage a lot if he bothers." Wesson giggled, picking up one of the bottles of juice and walking on down the line.

"You brats talking about me behind my back?" Colt smirked as he put down two trays to be filled. "I'll get you for that later."

"No, we're talking about you in FRONT of you!" Wesson grinned back towards him, and then went off to their table.

Luger chuckled. "Same old Wesson." He picked up his tray once it had the juice on it and then went towards the table.

"You ever notice how whenever we walk in, the place goes dead silent?" Colt asked, once they'd all sat down.

"It's because of your grand entrance, Colt." Springfield said, closing his book and eating the food that Colt had brought him. "Kicking the door open, no matter how well it swings, is kind of an aggressive move."

"Oh." Colt looked towards the door. "Fine, I'll stop." He looked at his food and began to eat. "Since you think it's aggressive, Springfield."

"Thank you." Springfield nodded towards him.

"Don't forget; you two are going to report your mistake." Luger said calmly. "I'm not going to do it for you; you have to face your own blunders."

Colt sighed heavily. "I did nothing wrong!" He glared firmly at Luger. "I did as ordered and got the Demons out of there! What 'blunder' did I do?"

Wesson shrank into the table, trying to pretend he wasn't there. "I don't like hearing you guys arguing…"

"We will discuss this matter with the General." Luger said calmly. "Right now is not the best time."

"We will discuss this NOW!" Colt snapped, standing up and banging his hands on the table. "What the hell did I do wrong?! I did the damn mission, for Guardians' sake!"

"Colt." Colt froze and looked towards Springfield, who had set his fork down. "Now is not a good time. We're trying to eat, the other soldiers are trying to eat, and you're making a scene that is quite honestly annoying me. Stop it."

Colt cringed and sat down, sighing. "…Fine. I'll wait until we talk to the General."

Luger sighed softly. "Thank you, Springfield. You've always been able to talk sense into him better than I."

"You're welcome." Springfield smiled and continued eating.


	3. Year 1, Chapter 2: Suspension

As the ship pulled in at the beach just south of Adlehyde, a blonde teenager in a delicate blue and white dress and a jewel shaped like a tear on a chain around her neck stood on the shore waiting, her hands clasped together in front of her abdomen. As the ramp lowered and connected with the dock, she bobbed on her feet before walking closer. "Luger! Welcome back!"

"Princess!" Luger looked surprised as he walked off the ramp onto the dock. "I thought you had lessons!"

"I've finished them for the day, silly!" She smiled and walked up close to him. "I missed you. How was your mission?"

Luger glanced to the side. "…It…could've been better. We have evacuees on the ship."

She nodded. "Let's make sure they safely get to the encampments prepared." She made a delicate motion with her hand for him to move on and turned to go.

"Hey, Amelia!" Colt ran on down the ramp, grinning. "How you been, girl?"

"H-06: Colt! Have some sense of decorum!" A man said, walking over to the dock. "Princess, I'll take it from here."

"But, General Lennox—" She began to protest.

"Go on, you've worried your family enough by taking off without warning." General Lennox gestured to two guards that had come up. "They will escort you back. And don't do this again. What if a Demon had attacked you?"

"…Yes, General." She looked down sadly and turned to Luger. "I'll see you in the castle, then?"

"After we debrief." Luger nodded with a smile. She nodded and skipped off to the guards, walking away with them.

General Lennox turned to Luger. "So? How did the mission fare?"

Luger sighed. "I'll explain in your office, sir. All of us will." He shot Colt a sharp look, which he cringed from.

After they had all gathered in General Lennox's office, he sat down at his desk and laced his fingers together in a thoughtful position. "Report."

Luger stood at attention. "Yes, sir. We arrived at Harvey's Corner at 0700 hours as planned, and the situation was worse than we had thought. The Demons had taken over the town, and were using the human inhabitants as slaves to mine the nearby caverns for something. We set to work straight away, first killing the slave-drivers and freeing people in cages that were going to be sent somewhere else." He paused. "Then, while I challenged the Demon General stationed there, Break, I assigned Colt and the others to rescue the rest of the humans and get them safely onboard."

He turned to Colt. "I'll let Colt explain what happened next."

Colt sighed. "The situation was pure pandemonium, sir. The citizens we'd already freed were running rampant and not heading for the boat but to what they must've thought were the safety of their own homes. The demons had already set up there, so we had to save them AGAIN—"

"Which was fine until Colt shot a truck full of humans that a Demon was 'jacking and accidentally blew it up." Nils cut in. "Thing must've been full of dynamite! Kaboom- flying in the air! Er-"

There was a long, stifling silence then, and then the General rose to his feet. "You fired on a vehicle full of civilians?"

"It was being stolen!" Colt insisted. "I couldn't let him take it!"

"So, fire on the Demon, not the truck!" The General raised his voice, causing Colt to cringe back. "You chose to fire on the truck and injured—no, you KILLED those civilians with your mistake in judgment!"

"I didn't intend t—" Colt tried to reply, but was firmly cut off by "SILENCE!" and went silent, looking down.

The General sighed and sat down in his chair again. "Continue with the report."

"Yes, sir." Springfield stepped forward. "I regret to say, I also ended up killing civilians in my attempt to free them. While battling with the demon keeping me from the miners, I missed hitting him with one of my shots and hit a particular rock above, causing a cave-in. It was a grave mistake I could have avoided, and I am willing to accept my punishment." He looked down solemnly.

"As right you should be." General Lennox turned to Luger. "Other than the mistakes just mentioned, did everything go well?"

"Yes, sir. Break was chased off, and the surviving humans are onboard the ship. I apologize for not killing Break." Luger said, looking a bit glum.

General Lennox sighed. "I doubt you could've killed him on your own, H-04. That I can forgive. However, H-05 and H-06 will be suspended to their quarters and their ARMs confiscated until further word on their punishments." He stood up. "They are not to leave their room on the ship for any reason, is that understood?"

"But, sir!" Colt protested.

"Is. That. Under. Stood?" General Lennox repeated firmly, narrowing his eyes at the teen.

"…Yes, sir." Colt sighed heavily.

"Good. You are all dismissed. Good work to the rest of you, you may now wander around the city as you please. Stay out of trouble." He sat down and began to rifle through papers on his desk. "Luger, I want you to escort H-05 and H-06 to their quarters and secure their door."

"Yes, sir." Luger saluted and then nudged Colt and Springfield out of the room, their hands behind their backs. Wesson and Nils saluted before following.

"Suspended…you ask me, this is the worse punishment ever." Colt grumbled as they were led to their room.

"Colt, try to take this time to relax." Springfield said softly.

"We're here. Hand over your ARMs." Luger said, holding out his hands for them.

Springfield gave away his musket without trouble, but Colt was very reluctant to hand over his and had to be prodded before he handed over his rifle. "Remind me to go to the shooting range and practice once I get that back."

"I, as well." Springfield agreed, walking into the room with Colt. The door was closed and locked behind them, and Colt sighed heavily before flopping onto his bed. "Colt, please try to make the most of this. We're not in the brig." Springfield said as he sat on his bed and opened his book.

"Yet." Colt closed his eyes. "I HATE being confined..."


	4. Year 1, Chapter 3: Strike

"So, what're we going to do, Nils?" Wesson asked the next day, trailing behind him as they walked through Adelhyde. "I'm bored, let's go shoot stuff at the range!"

"I need to get materials to replace the ones I lost. You know; the ones you blew up?" Nils shot him a look. "I don't care what you do; you can go do that if you want." He walked into the castle.

"Aw, you still on that?" Wesson asked as he followed him. "I said it was an accident!"

"Accidents got Colt and Springfield suspended, remember? And one in the lab can get us killed!" Nils reminded him. "Why are you still following me?" He turned and walked down a hall. "Go find Ben, or Jai, or Lu. Go bother someone else."

"Nooo, they're boring and mean!" Wesson wailed, following him down the hall and into a room. "I wanna spend time with my brother!"

"What brother? I'm not your brother! We're ALL your brothers!" Nils sighed, walking through the room with a desk and entering the armory. "Why me in particular?"

"You understand me." Wesson said, walking in after him and looking around. "So many ARMs…I wonder if they had this many before we were made. Hey, Nils, what does ARM stand for again?"

Nils looked at him with a "really" look and shook his head. "How could you forget that? It's covered in basic training!"

"Well, I forgot! Meanings of names don't really matter as much as the thing itself!" Wesson pouted.

"Alright, fine. But you better listen this time." Nils picked up one of the weapons on the wall. "A.R.M., better known as ARM, stands for 'Artificially Rebirthed Matricide Machine'. Most people cut out the last M though with abbreviating, since A.R.M.M. would be ARMM." He made an "mm" sound when he finished the word, which made Wesson giggle. "See? Not very impressive, is it?"

"True. Okay, so what does matricide mean? Is it a tech word for something?" Wesson asked, looking over his own revolver.

"No. You need to look in the dictionary, kid." Nils sighed. "I will NOT be your walking encyclopedia all the time. 'Matricide' is the act of killing a mother, and the Demons' leader is…?"

"Oh! The Mother!" Wesson pounded the side of his fist into his palm pointed up. "I understand now! Thanks, Nils! You know a lot!"

"Mmhm. Hm, they don't seem to have what I need here. I'll check the other room." Nils walked out, Wesson following.

"So, how come you don't use an ARM like the rest of us, Nils?" Wesson asked.

"I do, sometimes. My rocket launcher. And, anyways, bombs are easier to move around with, so I throw grenades and plant mines. They don't usually put me in live combat zones anyway, unless they need extra hands like that last mission." Nils entered another room and began to rifle through a large box, half his body sticking out.

"Hm…" Wesson looked thoughtful, and then he grinned and pushed Nils' legs in, ("WHA?!") and shut the lid. Then he stood back giggling, his giggles slowly turning to nervous chuckles as the lid opened with Nils looking murderous. "Uhhh…"

"I'm gonna KILL YOU!" Nils jumped out, Wesson already out the door when he landed. "Get back here, you little—agh!" He wiped smoke out of his face and scowled. "Oh, he did NOT just steal my smoke-bombs." He stalked after him.

"U-uh oh!" Wesson dashed past a few people in the hall and went up the stairs, throwing another smoke bomb behind him to slow Nils down. "Sorry!"

"If you're sorry, then stay still so I can kill you!" Nils yelled, running up the stairs after him.

Outside on the roof, a large, stoic man was standing and watching the city, the wind blowing by him. Luger stood next to him, enjoying the view as well, and then he looked over as they heard yelling. "Oh, dear. Sounds like we need to cool something down again."

"You are dead, hear me!? D.E. !" They heard Nils roar as Wesson came bolting out the door and slammed it shut. Luger raised an eyebrow as Wesson looked around before ducking around the corner of the middle section.

Nils came out a bit later, growling. "Where is he?"

"Boys, really?" Luger walked over to Nils. "Whatever he did, it can't be that bad. Let it go, for Guardians' sake. Look, you're disturbing Benelli." He gestured to the man still standing by the edge.

Wesson peeked around the corner to see if Ben was actually perturbed; the most he did was sigh. Luger looked at Nils. "See? You've disturbed him."

"I don't… think he gets disturbed." Nils said skeptically.

"Well, I want you two to stop running around. I don't care if you have youthful energy and pent up aggression, you're going to—"

"The sky." Benelli suddenly spoke. "It's cracking."

"What?" Luger looked up at the sky. Sure enough, in the center of the blue sky above Adlehyde, there was a purple crack forming. As they watched, it got bigger, and Luger looked alarmed. "We need to tell the King." He turned and ran out.

Wesson came out of hiding. "Benelli, what is it?"

"Hey— You- Doooh!" Nils looked at Wesson.

"I'm unaware." Benelli admitted. "Go investigate."

Wesson nodded and dashed out, Nils following. As they got outside, they saw boulders landing all over town. "…What in the Guardians' names are those?" Wesson asked, walking over to one.

"Wesson, don't!" Nils suddenly grabbed Wesson and pulled him back. "That thing is pulsating!"

"What?!" Wesson yelped, jumping back. "I thought it was just a boulder!"

The boulder continued to pulsate until there was a flash of light that almost blinded the two. Then they heard screams as the light cleared and there was a monster where the boulder stood only moments before. Wesson quickly drew his revolver and fired on it, killing it after three shots. "We need to get the townspeople to safety!" He looked at Nils.

"Already on it!" Nils called, running off. Wesson could see Luger and Benelli running out as well, weapons drawn and firing at demons, and he nodded firmly and ran off to fight demons off from the hospital.

"Is this all the great Adlehyde has to offer?" He saw a man that looked like he was wearing mismatched clothes and a jagged mask that only had one side. "Pitiful! Absolutely pitiful!"

"Hooooo-ho-ho!" The large demon beside him guffawed. "We'll have this place captured in no time!"

"Break!" Luger ran over to them. "It's you again!"

"Well! Here for another dance, pretty boy?" Break grinned, baring sharp teeth on the side not covered by his mask. "Shall we begin, then? Un, deux, TROIS!" He moved towards him, stabbing with his rapier.

"Agh! Benelli, take Berserk! We need to force them out!" Luger said, picking up a fallen sword from a wrecked antiques shop. "Very well, Break, if you wish to battle this way then we will. En garde!"

Wesson frowned, seeing them struggling. "There's no way we'll be able to get them out with just one against each one. They have the advantage in close range." He looked towards the ship. "We need Colt." He turned and dashed off, leaving the battlefield.

"Wess!" Nils called after him, but Wesson ignored his calls and headed for the port.


	5. Year 1, Chapter 4: Breakout!

Springfield sat quietly reading as Colt paced their room. "Colt, you're going to exhaust yourself. And the pacing is very distracting, so please stop."

"Why? Not like I can do much—" Colt froze and ran to the window, listening. "I hear screams…and there's smoke. Is Adlehyde under attack?"

Springfield looked up and then sighed, shaking his head. "I understand how you feel, but we've been disarmed and taken off active duty. We can't go help, Colt."

"I'm gonna try anyway!" Colt went to the door and banged on it. "Hey, let us out! We can help!" His calls were met with only silence, and he sighed and flopped back onto his bed. "I HATE this! The biggest crisis; and I'm not in the thick of it!"

"Colt, you need to accept the fact that you can't go and—" The sound of the door clicking cut him off and they both looked over to see it opening. "Huh. Perhaps they heard you."

Wesson peeked into the room. "I just unlocked your door from the security room down the hall. Let's go, hurry! We need long range!"

"I need my rifle." Colt said, running out.

Springfield followed, looking at Wesson with a puzzled expression. "Wesson, how did you get to the security panel past the guards?"

"Oh…uhm…I…stole a few of Nils' bombs earlier, and among them was one full of knock-out gas." He admitted. "Anyways, let's quickly head to the armory!"

"Wesson, you're getting smarter and smarter!" Colt grinned. "Let's get our gear then chase those demons out!"

They dashed through the hall and ducked around corners waiting for guards to pass by before they approached the armory. Colt looked at Wesson. "Any more of that gas?" Wesson shook his head. "Alright, then it's time to do this Jaivan-style."

They opened the door and before the guard realized they'd entered, Colt was swinging a fist into his face. The guard fell, hard, and Springfield knelt to check on him while Colt got their confiscated weapons. "He's just unconscious. Be careful, though, we have more strength than them." He took his musket as Colt handed it over.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Sorry." Colt sighed as he and Springfield ran out with Wesson trailing behind.

Out in town, Luger realized that flying demons were converging on the castle roof and turned to Benelli. "Sorry, I have to go!" He then ran off, leaving his sword on the battlefield.

"Oh, leaving so soon?" Break begin to go after him, but a sharp pain in his shoulder made him let out a cat-like hiss and look over to see who had fired. Springfield was standing across from him, the barrel of his musket smoking. "So, someone else wants to be my dance partner? Bring it, boy!" He beckoned him closer and twirled his rapier. "Let's dance."

"Very well. I will oblige your fancies." Springfield said, holstering his musket and picking up the sword Luger abandoned on the ground. "I will 'dance' with you, Demon General."

Break grinned. "Well then, Un, deux, TROIS!" He stabbed at him, forcing Springfield to move back and then moving back himself to dodge the red-head's next blow. "Well, you're not so shabby a dancer! Not as good as the last one, but not so shabby!"

Benelli noticed a glimpse of blue darting towards a tower, then moved to avoid Berserk's mace. Wesson ran up and pointed his gun at Berserk. "Everyone's evacuated, Benelli, we just need to chase them off!"

"Oh, I wouldn't say 'everyone'." Berserk chortled. "After all, we still have brave—foolish—youths right here!" He swung his mace and slammed it down towards Wesson and Benelli.

Up on the tower, Colt was setting up at one of the windows, built for just what he needed. 'I need them to give me a clear shot…' He thought. 'I need the two Generals to line up, like dominos. Then I can make them fall together!'

Springfield knew the plan, but was finding it difficult to force Break to line up with Berserk when he kept moving around like he was. Unlike Berserk, he wasn't staying in one place, so it was proving a challenge. And he wasn't using magic, either. To top it all off, Springfield wasn't the best with a sword, but was grateful for the few lessons he'd taken from Luger, who enjoyed learning about archaic things.

'Archaic…' He thought, ducking to avoid a blow. 'Not when it's Break you're up against. When is Colt going to be ready?'

Something whistled through the air and then Break let out a cry of pain as Berserk did the same, Break's shoulder having a hole in it and Berserk's back having a bullet embedded into it. Springfield stepped back, as Break threatened to fall, but a green light enveloped both Generals and they were lifted into the air, along with the monsters and demons they'd brought. As he watched, the sky began to repair itself, like it had never been broken. Within moments, it was entirely blue.

"…What was their aim?" Wesson asked, looking over as Nils came over to them. "Nils, you okay?"

"I'm fine. Are they gone?" Nils said, looking up where the crack had been.

"Looks like." Springfield murmured. "We should make sure everyone is accounted for."

Nils looked at Springfield. "…Why are you out here?"

Before Springfield could answer, Colt had run over with a grin. "Alright, two in one shot! Am I good or what?"

Nils looked at Colt. "Weren't you suspended?"

"Psh. Nothing they can punish me with will faze me. I got to shoot two Generals in one blow, man! I was awesome!" He did a victory dance.

"Awesomely in trouble." A cool voice said, stopping Colt short, and then they looked over to see a man walking over. "Hello, Colt. Getting in trouble right away, are we?"

"…Jaivan." Colt frowned, stepping back a bit.

"Well, luckily for you, we have more important things to worry about. For instance, the Queen has just died." Jaivan turned to them. "Despite our best efforts, the stress of the situation has aggravated her illness and she's dead. Your sentence will wait until after the funeral, since the General will be too busy attending it to punish you." He turned to Colt again. "In the meantime, I'm to escort you back to the ship. In fact, Luger will be joining me shortly to talk with all three involved in your breakout."

Wesson shrank behind Springfield.

"Enough talk, Jaivan. Let's go." Luger spoke up. "Nils, you may return to whatever you were doing before the attack – before Wesson annoyed you." Luger walked over, looking solemn. "I'm afraid that, despite the reason, disobeying direct orders is something I will not condone." He turned to Benelli. "I apologize for running off. They needed assistance in the castle."

"I understand." Benelli said, then turned and walked into the castle.


	6. Year 1, Chapter 5: Punishment

Colt stumbled into the hallway near his room, pushed by Jaivan. "Okay, enough pushing! I can freakin' WALK for Guardians' sake!" He turned to Jaivan and Luger, the younger of which had Wesson by the shoulder. Springfield rubbed his head as he recovered from bumping into the wall when Jaivan pushed him alongside Colt.

"Now that we're back where you BELONG, it's time to talk." Jaivan said, cracking his knuckles. "Colt, you've been nothing but uncooperative, and I doubt you would've waited for a crisis to get out if you could. You're much too active." He walked over to him. "In fact, the past few times you've gotten in trouble, you've gotten off far too easy. I think it's time to change that."

"Puh. You said yourself that General Lennox can't punish me until after the funeral! I'm not being punished until then!"

"Oh, really?" Jaivan gave a cold smile and Colt noticed Luger gripping Wesson's shoulder tighter, holding him there. "If that's going to be your attitude about it, I suppose it's time to take things into my own hands." He pushed Colt to the ground. Springfield gasped and ducked out of the way to avoid being hit.

"Hey, knock it off!" Colt yelled as he sat up, his legs bent.

"I don't think your striking the right tone here, Colt." Jaivan looked down at him coldly, and then gave a sadistic smile, gripping Colt's hair roughly.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

"Maybe you'd like all your punishments right now?" Jaivan suddenly slammed his foot down on Colt's knees as hard as he could, and they barely heard an audible CRACK over Colt's scream of agony. Wesson whimpered and closed his eyes and Springfield's eyes widened as they heard another CRACK accompanied with cries of pain. When Jaivan stepped back, Colt was lying on the ground with his legs limp, his body trembling in pain. "What was that you were saying about walking? Looks like you'll have to stay in for a while. Pity."

"You…bastard…" Colt said through teeth clenched in pain, his hands gripping his legs.

"Alright, you can let Wesson go. I think he's learned his lesson on what rule-breaking leads to." Jaivan nodded to Luger and then turned to Springfield, who stiffened up. "Take this sludge back to your room. And don't disobey orders again." He turned and walked off, leaving Colt on the floor.

Wesson knelt next to Colt as soon as Luger released him and walked off with Jaivan. "Colt…? You okay…?"

"I hate him…" Colt whispered, his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

Springfield slowly got up and then knelt to pick Colt up with both arms, cradling his broken body. "I'm sorry, Colt…"

"Don't be. You didn't do it." Colt tried to smile, but the pain was too unbearable and it came out more like a grimace.

The Queen's death had brought grief from Adlehyde to the other Kingdoms, as she was most loved by many people of the world. She was a skilled shaman of the Guardians and a devoted Queen, so the loss of her was too painful for some to bear. The funeral procession was lined with flowers and people that wished her well on the other side, the King of Adlehyde and Amelia in the forefront with Prince Lionel holding his father's hand, crying. As they approached the gravesite, the princess gripped the sacred Tear Drop, the family heirloom, and began to pray to the Guardians for them to protect her people and to care for her mother's body.

"Oh, Zeldukes, please care for my mother, as she rests in your care. Gurdjieff, care for her as she rests in your earth. I will try to do as she did, and protect the world with your power. Please, grant me your power to protect the people of this world she loved."

The King and guards knelt with her, and then once she was done praying the procession continued and watched as the coffin was lowered into the ground, a choir softly singing her away.

Colt and Springfield spent the day of the funeral in their room, while Wesson, Nils, Jaivan, Benelli, and Luger sat in the conference hall away from it all. Wesson looked down at his hands resting on the table glumly and kicked his legs absently. "Jaivan…I don't think you needed to use lethal force on Colt."

"It was hardly lethal. He wouldn't learn anything dead." Jaivan said simply. "He's much like the animal that shares his name; young, stubborn, and stupid. And the only way to teach someone like that is to break a bone or two."

"But, he'll be confined to a wheelchair even after his suspension! It takes a while to repair his legs! Shouldn't he see a doctor?" Wesson insisted.

"He'll be fine." Jaivan waved it off.

Luger looked at Benelli. "Do you have any thoughts on this, Benelli?"

"Jaivan knows how to handle Colt best, most of the time. And it is true that if not bridled, Colt will run wild." Benelli said flatly. "Maybe this will teach him humility and patience, something he has needed to learn."

Luger sighed. "Humility and patience…you'd think just being in this army would teach him that…" He looked at Nils. "Nils, what are you working on?"

"The lab is closed, so I'm making a non-explosive design for a new bomb." Nils explained. "Hey, why are we here anyway? Why not send us back to the ship?"

"It's closer, if they want us." Luger said, nodding.

Wesson stood up. "Well, I don't like that Colt was reduced to that! And calling him 'sludge' was too much, Jaivan! Why are you always so mean?!"

"Wesson, please. Enough about Colt." Luger sighed. "He's received his punishment, which is better than what he would've gotten. Please sit down and stop antagonizing Jaivan."

Wesson clenched his fists, but complied with a huff.

After the funeral, a guard came in and told those without current assignments to return to the ship, and that they would be called on when General Lennox needed them to be. The group walked out, Wesson shooting Jaivan a look before he went down the opposite direction with Nils.

The next day, a wheelchair was brought in for Colt to be able to leave his bed, and a doctor came and put his legs in casts. "It'll be a few months, but they will repair. Hang in there, and don't forget to take your pain medication." The doctor rubbed the teen's shoulder reassuringly, and then left, leaving Colt to stare out the window from his wheelchair.

"…Right." Colt mumbled. "Thanks."


	7. Year 1, Chapter 6: Seperations

Springfield walked over and brought Colt his food. "Here. Eat up. You need strength to heal." He said softly, setting it on Colt's hands, which were folded on his lap as he sat by the window. "Colt, please. You're still alive. You can recover. Don't do this to yourself."

Colt looked up at him. "…I said that being kept in one room was the worst punishment? I take that back. Being confined to one chair for months is the worst punishment ever."

"Colt…" Springfield gently brushed Colt's hair out of his face and smiled. "You have to try to think of other things. Being like this isn't good for you. Please, eat."

Colt looked down at his food. "…Not so sure I can, right now."

"You have working arms, and a working digestive system." Springfield said, sighing. "I'm not spoon-feeding you, so stop acting like an infant and feed yourself."

The door opened and Springfield looked up and saluted, straightening up. "General Lennox, sir!"

"At ease, H-05." General Lennox said, walking in. "I have good news for you. As of today, H-05: Springfield, you're being taken off suspension."

"But, sir, it's only been four days." Springfield looked confused. "I was told we'd be in here for two months. Why are you letting us out early?"

"Not both of you, just you. We need you for a mission." General Lennox said calmly. "Colt will remain here until otherwise ordered. We have your ARM, so gear up and let's go." He nodded to a guard, who brought Springfield his gear.

Springfield took his gear and began to pull on his jacket and strap on his holster, holstering his gun for the finishing touch. "Where am I going, sir?"

Colt looked up in alarm, and General Lennox shook his head. "That's classified, H-05. H-06 isn't to know of it. We'll tell you when you've left this room."

"Wait—you're taking Springfield?!" Colt set his plate to the side and wheeled his chair over. "Why?!"

"We have something that requires one of his particular skills." General Lennox said calmly. "That's all you'll hear on the matter. Good day." He turned and led Springfield out. Springfield gave an apologetic smile before walking out after him, the door shutting in Colt's face.

Springfield looked over his shoulder as they walked. "Sir…Colt really does try his best. He just can't seem to control himself."

"Well, he needs to learn to. This might teach him." General Lennox said firmly, walking down the hall. They rode a military truck to the Adlehyde Castle throne room until they approached the King and an Elw scientist, who they both saluted to. "Your Majesty, I have brought H-05."

"Ah, good. H-05: Springfield, you're to accompany Sylvestre and myself to a secret location, which you are to tell no one of. Are you ready?" The King asked calmly.

"Your Majesty, I was created ready to do my duty." Springfield assured him.

"Good answer." The King smiled and led them down a hall, where Slyvester opened a door and led the way into an elevator.

"We have our transport prepared, so we'll have no delays. Springfield, have you ever been underwater before?" Sylvestre looked at the red-head.

"No, sir." Springfield shook his head, looking around in awe as the elevator opened and they found themselves in a cavern that had some kind of structure on the water that surrounded the small island they were on. "What is this place?"

"This is the subterranean dock." Sylvestre explained. "I find it's faster and safer to go where we need to go by submarine, so enjoy the ride." He smiled and led them to the structure, a ramp lowering for them to climb in without trouble.

"Impressive." Springfield said as they walked up the ramp and into the submarine. Then he was motioned to a seat by General Lennox and took it, looking out the window. "Is this really going to go underwater?"

"That's right." Sylvestre smiled. "Let's be going." A few buttons and levers were pushed and pulled and they felt the structure move around them. The water around them rose until the world around Springfield was completely enveloped in blue-green. Then the door ahead of them opened and the submarine went out into the ocean.

What a sight. From the fish swimming around them to the coral and underwater islands, Springfield was fascinated by everything he was seeing. He chuckled a bit as a school of fish swam by his window, and General Lennox looked over to see what was so funny before continuing his quiet conversation with the King.

The ride lasted three hours, and it was done before Springfield even realized they were approaching their destination. The submarine surfaced and the door opened, indicating everyone should step out. When he did, Springfield found himself in another cavern, this one full of people and machines everywhere, buildings built into it like some underground city.

"Ah, Vassim!" Sylvestre called. "Come over here and meet Springfield!"

Springfield looked over where he was calling to and saw another Elw approaching. He didn't seem to have any military rank, but Springfield gave a salute anyway, just in case. "Good day, sir. H-05: Springfield reporting for duty."

"Oh, yes." The Elw, Vassim, was a little startled by this reaction. He extended a hand, which Springfield shook. "Springfield…was it? No need to be so formal. I'm just a manufacturer."

"Vassim here is head of the operation." The King said, smiling. "He's the one you'll be assisting here, Springfield."

"I see." Springfield nodded. "Then, I will assist you to the best of my ability."

"What exactly are you doing here, Vassim?" Sylvestre asked. "It's been so hush-hush at the castle, but I thought I might learn on the way here."

"Oh, just more ARMs production." Vassim said dismissively, waving it off.

'So, it's still hush-hush, even now.' Sylvestre thought. 'Fine. I'll find out from Springfield later, he can't keep things from me!'

"I hope you don't mind staying for the long haul." Vassim continued. "We've got a lot of work to cover and, until now, we haven't had the expertise to do it."

"I understand. As long as the mission demands, I will be here." Springfield assured him. "Do you have a place for the Professor and I to stay for the duration?"

"Unfortunately, no." He chuckled. "We usually hire locally at the plant. You'll be staying with my family until proper arrangements can be made."

"Do you have spare rooms?" Sylvestre asked. 'I understand you have a sister…"

"Of course you won't be staying with her." Vassim replied with a shake of the head. "We have one bedroom that hasn't been used in a long while. You'll have to share a bed, but if that isn't a problem…"

"We'll…make do." Sylvestre said.

"I can just sleep on a blanket on the floor. I've done a few missions where there were no lodgings, so I'm fine with it." Springfield offered. "And it's rather warm down here, I've noticed, so I may not even need a cover."

Sylvestre looked at Springfield in surprise. "Well, if you're sure, Springfield…"

Springfield smiled. "I'm sure. I don't need a bed to be comfortable."

"Well, I actually live above ground." Vassim corrected. "But it's rarely all that cold around here. It should be alright. All the same, I'll see what I can do for a more permanent solution. Shall we go?" He motioned toward a main street which the followed down.

Despite the lack of natural light, the cavernous city was well lit. Soft lights hung from every doorway and street corner and warm firelight emanated from the windows. Moss and other subterranean plants grew thick on the stone walls, dulling the thrum of voices bouncing off the walls and ceiling of the cave. Transport pads sitting at key intersections produced a cool green glow and led Elw citizens to their destinations above.

Springfield looked around as they walked. He noticed that the King and General Lennox had stayed behind, while Vassim led him and Sylvestre. "I've never been to an Elw Terminal." He admitted. "It's a lot different than what I imagined from reports."

Sylvestre chuckled. "It's quite the experience. We use the Rayline to transfer us from one location to another, but only ones connected to the one we're currently on. It beats walking."

"Why not just take one to go here, then?" Springfield asked. "Why take the submarine?"

"Well, there's no Elw Terminal near Adlehyde." Sylvestre admitted. "And anyways, I like my submarine."

"It is an impressive invention." Springfield agreed. "As is the Elw Terminal."

"Well, you're about to experience it." Sylvetre said as they stepped onto the green orb.

A flash of light surrounded the trio and then they were being lifted up into the air, far, far up above Filgaia. Then they bounced against a specialized satellite and came back down, landing as the light dissipated in another location.

Springfield was speechless; his body was trembling a bit. Sylvertre was concerned he'd been broken before Springfield finally spoke again. "That…was…beautiful." He breathed; his eyes wide. "I've never seen anything like that…"

"Elw Terminal travel is one of the fastest ways, but the Terminal Points can only be at certain points in the world, where the Rayline points connect." Sylvestre said, relieved that he seemed fine. "So, it's not the most efficient."

Springfield turned to Vassim. "Well…shall we continue on?" He smiled.

Vassim nodded and led them off the pad, heading out of the Elw Terminal building. Outside it, an Elw girl with blonde hair and a green dress was carrying a basket. "Oh, brother Vassim! Are you coming home already? I've brought you a lunch!"

"Miss Mariel!" Sylvertre looked surprised to see her. "You've left your garden!"

Springfield blinked. "Professor Vassim, who is this?"

"I'd like you to meet my sister, Mariel." Vassim gestured to her. "Mariel, you remember Alana, and this is Springfield." He gestured first to Sylvestre, then Springfield. "He'll be helping me on my project."

"Hello." Mariel smiled shyly and extended a hand for Springfield to take. "It's not often we see humans in our encampment."

"Oh, I-I'm not human." Springfield admitted, shaking her hand. "I'm a Holmcross."

"Oh! Well, you're LIKE a human, either way." She said, her hand gripping the basket she held again.

"Not quite, but I guess you're right." Springfield chuckled a bit. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Mariel."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Springfield." She giggled a bit. "Oh! Are you coming home, brother? I can make more food for your guests for dinner, if you'd like."

"Actually, I was thinking of heading down to the research lab, but it IS looking pretty late." Vassim said as he looked to the darkening sky. "We'll go ahead and have dinner, and head out tomorrow morning; if it's not too much trouble."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all!" She beamed. "I always get lonely when you're working, so having more people for dinner makes me really happy!" She turned and walked off towards a cabin, swinging the basket as she walked.

"She's energetic." Springfield remarked, following with the two Elw men. "Lonely…" He glanced to the side. "I bet Colt is lonely." He said softly.

Sylvestre glanced at him. "H-06 is fine. A little distance will do him good, perhaps make him less clingy." He said sharply. "Stop dwelling on his pathetic state and look to the future, Springfield!"

"The future…" Springfield looked towards where Mariel had gone.


	8. Year 1, Chapter 7: Into the Cold

Four hours ago…

As Springfield was led away and the door was shut on him, Colt watched helplessly feeling like when he next saw his brother he wouldn't be the same. 'Springfield…please, come back to me…' He thought, gripping the wheels of his wheelchair and turning back towards the window. "Be safe…brother…" He breathed, slumping in his wheelchair. The food he'd been brought was sitting on the desk in the room, growing cold, but he didn't care. He sighed and looked at his legs helplessly before he began to lift off the chair. "I can't be stuck here…I need…to move!" He pushed himself up, but an excruciating stab of pain shot through his body and he hit the ground hard on his side. "AAAAAAGH!"

"Now look what you've done to yourself!" A familiar voice cried. Colt looked over his shoulder to see the sideways image of Prof. Tiggs, a sandy blonde with a bounce in her step. She 'tsk'ed her tongue with a hand on one hip. "Here, let me help you with that. I swear, I can't leave you boys alone for two days without you getting into trouble." She said as she lifted Colt under his shoulders and up into the chair.

"Where were you, anyway?" Colt asked, groaning in pain. "Do you see what Jaivan's done to me? How long will it take me to recover? Am I going to be stuck in this room forever?" He looked desperately at her. "I need to run around!"

"Jaivan did? I thought we had him past this sort of outburst! Well, that's going to be more work for me." She shook her head and sat down on the bed near Colt, resting a hand on the nearby desk and almost putting her palm in his food. She held it out to him accusingly. "What the- ? Colt, you need to eat!"

"Yeah, I know." Colt sighed. "I just don't have much appetite when I'm stuck in one room for days, and now Springfield's been taken off to who-knows-where…" He wheeled his chair over and picked up his food, gingerly eating it. After a few bites, he sighed and set it back down, looking absolutely miserable.

"Oh, for goodness sake!" She threw her hands in the air. "I didn't realize I'd raised a bunch of pubescent girls! Springfield will be fine. I have more important news right now."

"Oh? You're going to take Jaivan apart?" Colt asked; his head still down. "Can I watch?"

Tiggs laughed. "Oh, don't you wish. Unfortunately, we've put too much time and money into him for that. No, I was going to say that I have a special assignment for you. One you can even do while recovering. In fact, now is probably the ideal time."

Colt blinked, looking more interested, and turned his wheelchair to face her. "What do you mean? What kind of assignment?"

She leaned forward, resting her hands on his knees. "I need your body – for science!"

Colt blinked. "….Eh?" He was a little concerned, having heard of Jaivan being sent to do strange 'breeding' experiments years ago. "What…do you mean?" He asked, looking at her hands awkwardly.

"Well, I'm going to take you home and look your body all up and down." She nodded enthusiastically. "Then I'm going to take the parts I like and incorporate them into my latest project."

"…Take my parts?" Colt shrank back into his chair.

"All the best ones."

"But, won't I need them?" Colt asked, looking really worried now.

"Not once we're through with you…" She stared hard into his eyes and waited for the panic to sink in before pushing herself back with a laugh. "I'm just kidding! I'm going to study your design so I can copy the stuff that works well. It's just going to be a few scans and physical tests."

Colt slumped in his seat, visibly relieved. "Oh, good. I thought you thought I was useless now…" He looked at her. "So…where is this assignment at?"

"We're going to my primary lab in Arctica. It's far enough away from the frontline that you can recover in relative peace, though we do have a decent shooting range you can practice in."

Colt sighed a bit. "…Pretty far away, but I guess it's better than being stuck here. When do you want to ship out?" He looked at her. "I'm pretty much ready as soon as I have my gear."

"Then let me just go clear up the paperwork and we'll be on our way!" She stood up and headed out the door. Soon she had come back with a document for Colt to sign and an officer in tow with his belongings. She wheeled him and his gear out to the dock where they boarded a smaller, faster boat. After he was carefully strapped in, to avoid rolling around unintentionally, they were on their way.

"This is so undignifying…" Colt said as Tiggs tightened the straps. "At least the others are all busy and not here to see me." He sighed as he looked around. "Arctica…that's where Koch is, right?"

"That's right." Tiggs replied without looking up from the final buckles. "How long has it been since you've seen each other? At least half a dozen years, I think." She stood up and wiped her forehead. "We'll need to get you some arctic gear…"

Colt looked at his t-shirt, light boots, and jeans and nodded. "Might be a good idea." He looked back at her. "I'm generally not dressed for the arctic, since most of my missions don't take me there. They decided I'm not 'front-line' material or something, so I'm helping protect the cities and ports from the Demon Generals."

She rolled her eyes and muttered. "Ugh, what are they thinking? Civilian locations are the worst place to teach him self-control!" She smiled reassuringly at him as she walked towards the lone sailor driving the boat. "Well, no need to worry about any of that where we're going. It's a veritable wasteland."

"I'll have to adapt to the different environment." Colt said, looking thoughtful. "I should've brought a camera…hm. Maybe if there's a city there, I can buy one. Is Koch going to be at the place we're going? What kind of food is served in Arctica? Do you have rifle bullets?"

"Yes, yes, and yes." Tiggs replied, not giving a whole lot of thought to the second. She was more concerned with planning a route with the ship's pilot.

As she planned their route, she barely noticed Colt continuing to speak. "Wait, yes? How does that tell me about the food? Were you even listening, Professor Tiggs?"

"Uh huh. Of course. Food." She pointed to sections on the map, the sailor nodding. "The demons have a blockade here. This other route is shallower, but we might be able to pass safely over it."

"I hope I don't have to eat bear or something…" Colt said in the background, crossing his arms over his chest. "I hear it really screws up your stomach to eat bear."

"Don't be ridiculous. Koch eats bear all the time." Tiggs looked over her shoulder. "I'm sure your stomach can handle it."

"Nah, it'll twist up my stomach. Maybe I'm allergic." Colt remarked. "I don't know if I want to even try it, it sounds creepy."

"Kids, huh?" The sailor chuckled.

It wasn't an excessively long trip, but it'd be hard to call it a short one either. The distance between Adlehyde and Arctica is at least a day's journey in good conditions, and this one was far from ideal. Colt found he could still be of use in combat from his wheel chair during the various times that sea monsters came on board. But the rest of the time he sat stir-crazy and bored as the small ship bounced over large restless waves. Furthermore, ice and rocks caused them to reroute four or five times. By the time they arrived he had been on that vessel for three miserable days.

And he was more than ready to leave it by the time they finally pulled into dock. "Are we there?" He asked, as the ship docking woke him from his bored stupor. "Is this the place?"

"This is it!" Tiggs looked over from her seat near the wheel. "Pack your word-search, we're getting off."

She helped him gather what few possessions he had on hand, made sure his winter gear was all properly on, and wheeled him down the ramp. The dock was made of frozen wood and metal grates. The ice crunched under the wheels of his chair, muffling as they hit the snow. With a good effort they got the chair into the dockworkers office and waited to be picked up by a pair of snowmobiles from the research facility. After a few hours they arrived. Tiggs went out to greet them and discuss how to divide the supplies, as well as how he should ride.

"We'll have him ride with you." She said to one of the soldiers dressed in a full snowsuit and helmet. "Just put him on back and tell him to hold on tight. We'll go ahead and fold up his chair with the rest of his things."

A second soldier continued to discuss arrangements with her, while the first one looked past her to Colt sitting forlornly in the corner with a cup of hot soup in his hands. The suit covered soldier approached him and waved.

Colt noticed a shadow on him and looked up from his half-eaten soup. "Oh, hi. You're our ride? Sorry I'll be a burden." He rested a hand on one of the wheels of his chair. "This is embarrassing, to be honest. Seen like this…."

"Bif nof sof bud." The soldier replied, sitting down next to him. Apparently they had trouble speaking clearly in that helmet. "Wif al bin der."

Colt raised a brow. "Uhm…could you take off the helmet? Makes you hard to understand." He said, sipping more of his soup.

"Huh? Oh!" The soldier removed the helmet to reveal a ski-mask underneath. "Any bedder?"

"A bit, but now the mask is in the way." Colt chuckled.

"Mm, byah." The soldier pulled the mask off to reveal a woman with brunette hair which currently was flying in all directions. Slowly it dropped about her shoulders and a smile spread across her face. "It gets pretty cold sometimes. I just kind of wear my full gear on habit now."

Colt looked surprised and set his empty cup to the side. "Koch? Guardians, it's been years! How you been?" He grinned.

"I've been worse." She said, looking up in thought. "Though I have to say it's been a while since I've been in your shoes. What fell on you?"

"The full force of Jaivan's boot." Colt sighed heavily.

"Jaivan did that?" She looked over at him startled, and then giggled. "That sounds like something he'd do."

"Yeah. He's always abusing me!" Colt pouted. "Anyways, now I'm over here to help Professor Tiggs with something."

"In your condition? I wonder what it could be…" Koch looked him over thoughtfully. "I guess you're still a bit young for that. And they canceled the experiment anyway, I thought."

Colt felt his face heat up, and looked to the side. "Uhhh…yeah, she said something about studying my body for some new project of hers."

"Then again…." She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Colt ran his hand on his wheel awkwardly, his cheeks pink. "Let's…uh…change the subject. What's the food like here?"

"What is it with you and food?" Tiggs interrupted as she walked over to take him to the snowmobile.

"I'm hungry." Colt said, looking at her. "I finally got an appetite up, and this soup isn't enough." He picked up the empty mug of soup. "I think it's the snow that's done it."

"Well, we'll get you some real food as soon as we arrive." Tiggs assured him as Koch lifted him up out of the chair and towards the door. Tiggs began to fold up the chair to be loaded onto the back of the snowmobile.

Colt felt embarrassed and like a little kid again when Koch lifted him up and carried him out. "Gosh…I was, what, two last time I was carried like this? So weird…"

After Koch had gone back for her mask and helmet, they loaded up the last of the supplies and started on their way. Despite the spare helmet they had lent Colt the harsh winds slipped under and bit at his face. He could barely see through the near constant blizzard that rushed around them. By evening it was a sea of frozen darkness but for the steady trail streaming from their headlights. After several hours they stopped at a waypoint along some unseen road and had some more soup. It wasn't quite the meal he was looking for, but after the ride it was a great comfort. Most of them dozed for a couple hours - Koch seemed more interested in going for a walk - and then they continued onward. By the first light of Arctica's short, early spring day Colt could see the gray blotch of a military compound laying on the horizon. Within the hour they had arrived and were beginning to unload the snowmobiles. Koch once again lifted him up out of his seat and placed him into the wheelchair that Tiggs had set up.

"The ground here is pretty icy." Tiggs said. "We'll have to make sure your wheels get extra traction."

Colt nodded, wrapping his arms around himself. Even with the coat and gloves, the cold bit sharply at his body which was inexperienced to it. He looked around as his wheelchair was rolled through the snow, catching on ice every now and then. He could see a few people outside the compound looking up in surprise, some of them whispering to each other.

"Wonder what they're whispering about?" Colt remarked as he was wheeled inside.

"Mm, probably just wondering what happened to you." Tiggs answered reassuringly.

Colt sighed. "Yeah, I guess it does draw attention. I'm not used to it, either. I'll heal though, right? Just a few months?"

"Sure! Why, you might even enjoy the break. You boys don't get much chance for vacation."

Colt rubbed his head awkwardly. "But, uh…I don't really do well on down-time, to be honest. I'm so bored off the battlefield. What should I do?"

"I'm sure you'll find _something_ to do." Tiggs put a hand on his shoulder. "I heard you're good with kids."

Colt grinned. "Well, yeah. They keep me busy."

"There you go! You won't even notice the time pass."

Colt looked thoughtful. "But, I'm not really used to human kids…how can I interact well with them? They're into different things than Wesson and Nils are."

"Oh, pfft. You'll be fine." She waved it off. "Lots of kids like talking about guns, explosives, and creating super-soldiers! I know I did."

Colt laughed. "And killing Demons, of course. Okay, I'll find someone to play with, I'm sure. Where am I sleeping while I'm here?"

"Normally we'd set you up in the barracks, but you really need proper rest at first. So, we're having you stay in the infirmary for the next few days. You'll probably also spend a night in the lab with me."

"Professor Tiggs, isn't he a little young?" One of the other scientists asked, passing by.

Tiggs rolled her eyes, muttering to herself. "You try something once…"

Colt raised an eyebrow at the passerby and nodded to Tiggs. "Alright, that sounds good. This chair will make living in the barracks difficult, anyway…" He gestured to the wheelchair he was riding in.

Tiggs giggled and nodded in agreement. She rolled him into the main building of the complex, a one story building that consisted mostly of small labs and a cafeteria. The entrance was lined with fresh, dry coats to change into as well as various items for warming up or defrosting equipment. They took off their wet layers and left them in a bin set against the wall. The hall just inside was heated, but the people walking down it still felt the need to wear sweaters or jackets.

Colt was taken to a small doctor's office with little more than half a dozen beds. They arranged with the doctor on hand to have one set aside for Colt, and also explained the specifics of his condition. Once they were finished there Tiggs rolled him down the hall to a set of double doors.

"You ready for some real food?" She asked, leaning over his shoulder to look at him.

"Oh, yes. Definitely." Colt said, nodding enthusiastically. "What's on the menu?" He smiled, looking towards the doors.

"Today? Not sure. It'll be better than the powdered road food though. It's not exactly gourmet but at least we have real vegetables over here. Albeit, most of it frozen." She added as she rolled him into the cafeteria.

The room wasn't very large, but it was emptier than usual. Breakfast seemed to have ended and there were just a few scientists and stragglers coming off of night patrols left at the table. To the right side of the room was a window where people were serving some kind of meaty soup and a somewhat dry looking casserole.

Colt looked around as he was wheeled in. "Hey, where's Koch? I thought she'd be joining us." He looked at Tiggs. "She busy?"

"Maybe she finally went to bed." Tiggs thought aloud. She handed Colt a tray and then started to hand down the dishes for him to place on it. "Oh, or maybe she went to the shooting range."

"I might go there later. My rifle's really bored." He gestured to the rifle always on his person. "Can we go after we eat?"

"Well…" Tiggs helped Colt steady his tray enough for him to move the wheels on his own while she got herself some food and followed behind to a nearby table. "I really need to get some work taken care of this afternoon. After that I'm going to crash. Tomorrow we'll get your tires fitted for the snow and you can visit the range out there."

"Well, alright." Colt said as he wheeled himself to the table's end. "Tomorrow, then. Do you need my help this afternoon, or do you want me to crash for a while after we eat?"

"It's been a long trip. Why don't you take a few hours to relax. You've got to be tired." She lowered the food she was about to eat and yawned. "I know I am."

Colt chuckled. "Then, let's get a good night's sleep later." They ate their food, and then Colt was wheeled to the infirmary and tucked into bed, his rifle at his side. "Good night, Professor Tiggs."


	9. Year 1, Chapter 8: The Pilgrimage

A week after the beloved Queen of Adlehyde's death, Amelia is called into the throne room by her father. "Father, you summoned me?" She asked, her hands clasped in front of her.

"Yes. With the loss of your mother, the task of Guardian Shaman falls to you. However, the Guardians do not yet know you, and so I am sending you on a pilgrimage to all the Guardian Temples to meet them and gain their runes." The King informed her. Grief weighed heavy on his shoulders, but he knew he had to be strong for his children and Kingdom. "You may bring whatever small elite group you wish."

"I may choose?" Amelia smiled. "Then, I choose…"

A few hours later, Nils, Wesson and Luger were summoned to the throne room. They saluted and then Luger stepped forward. "We have come, Your Majesty, as ordered. What is your mission for us?"

"You three will escort Amelia to the Guardian Temples all over the world and protect her from any harm." The King of Adlehyde informed him. "This is a very important task that I expect you to carry out without any hitches."

"We'll take great care of her, Your Majesty!" Wesson smiled, nodding. "Princess Amelia is precious to all of us as well, you know. We won't let any harm come to her!"

"I'll hold you to that." The King smiled. "Amelia is currently preparing in her bedroom. Go meet her there; I'm assuming you know the way, H-04: Luger, having been her personal bodyguard before?"

"Of course, Your Majesty." Luger assured him.

"Good. Dismissed." The King said, and the three saluted before walking out.

"We're going out into the world!" Wesson said excitedly as they walked down the hall. "We better make sure we're all stocked up, too! Nils, you need anything while we're by the armory?"

"Nope." Nils replied as he double-checked his pack and the inside of his jacket. "Aside from picking up an ARM, I mean. You think missiles are too conspicuous for this trip?"

"Might be." Luger answered. "Just make sure to pack a lot of bombs and materials if you need them."

"Mmmm, then I guess I'm gonna have to pack extra." Nils grumbled. "Somehow…"

Wesson nodded. "I gotta get some more ammo too, so I'll be right back. Meet you there!" He went into the armory and gathered a few boxes of revolver ammo, making sure to sign out the correct amount with the guard before he headed off to Amelia's room.

Amelia was waiting with her bag packed and her clothes changed to something a little less fancy: a light-blue blouse and white skirt. Wesson looked her over and shook his head. "Princess, you might want to rethink wearing white."

"Oh, do you think so?" She looked at her skirt. "I guess you're right…"

"It's not gonna stay white, that's for sure." Nils remarked while fighting with the clasp on his cloak.

"Okay, then. Step out, so I can change." She said, going to her dresser.

"Did you pack anything white, or light-colored?" Luger asked.

"Uhm…some, but this was the only white thing." She admitted. "Please step out."

"Yes, ma'am." Luger smiled, ushering the kids out and closing the door. "I bet she realized she needs to repack all over again." He said to the two.

Wesson giggled. "Poor her."

After a bit, the door opened."Uhm…it may be a bit, so why not come in while we plan our course? I…forgot to pack some things." Amelia said, now in a dark-green blouse and brown skirt.

"Of course." Luger nodded, walking in.

"Nailed it." Wesson whispered to Nils who tried not to laugh too obviously.

The two followed them in and sat at a quaint white table with Luger, as Amelia gathered things to put in her open pack. On the table was a world map, with a few places circled in blue. Luger picked up the map and quirked an eyebrow. "Amelia, these places you circled are all tourist-traps, filled with entertainment and gella-beggers."

"I thought it would be interesting to visit them while we were out. One of the Temples is near one, after all." Amelia replied as she tried to decide what color of cloak to pack. "Hey, green, navy-blue, or lilac?"

"Lilac?!" Wesson looked over in disbelief.

"Don't you have anything brown?" Nils begged, his own clothes showing obvious favor towards the color. "If you've got nothing else, go with the green and hope we don't have to leave the woods."

"Lilac…" Wesson shook his head. "Bright colors get you killed."

"What about your hair?" Amelia asked.

"I WANT to be targeted instead of you. I'm TRYING to get attention. But, I know to cover my head if need be!" He tugged on his green scarf.

"Alright, alright. Green it is." She put the other two away and packed the green one. "I only have one brown article of clothing." She admitted.

All three Holmcross groaned and Luger looked at her. "Sounds like we need to go shopping before we go, Amelia."

Amelia gave an apologetic smile. Luger volunteered to take her shopping while Nils and Wesson charted their proper course on the map. It took a couple hours for them to get back, but when they did Amelia was finally ready to travel wardrobe-wise and not attend some party.

"Hey, welcome back!" Wesson greeted.

Luger sighed and sat down in a chair while Amelia went to pack her purchases. "I can fight Break 20 times, but I can't take girls shopping…"

"See, this is what I was telling you about yesterday, Wess." Nils said, looking up from the map. "Girls. Never."

"Girls are frightening." Wesson nodded. "Anyways, anywhere else we need to chart? Oh, I put a red circle around the areas we should avoid, since Demons seem to have bases there."

Luger looked at the map. "Hmm, but I'm pretty sure there's a Guardian Temple near here." Luger erased one of the red circles. "We'll just have to be extra careful. Also, we have no idea where they may attack, so we have to be prepared for battle, anyway."

"Can we still go to Ruskal?" Amelia asked.

Luger groaned. "But, that's a party town…"

"So? It'll be fun!" She replied, closing up her pack and walking over. "There, I'm all packed. Shall we have a meal before we go?"

"That's a good idea!" Wesson smiled.

"Good. I'll inform the kitchen." Amelia smiled and skipped off.

Wesson looked thoughtful. "Y'know…she doesn't really leave the castle much, does she?"

"She IS only 15." Luger reminded him.

"So's Colt." Wesson looked at Luger.

"Well, Colt's…y'know. He's not like her. He's a big boy." Luger shrugged.

"That's a silly reasoning! Why is Colt allowed to run off to places at 15, but not Amelia?" Wesson frowned, folding up the map.

Luger looked at Nils and gave a helpless shrug. Nils returned with a deer in headlights look and an annoyed shrug of his own.

Luckily, they were spared having to try explaining the matter by Amelia coming back. "Food's ready in about an hour, is there anything we need to go over before we go?"

"Don't eat strange wildflowers without consulting us first?" Wesson offered.

Luger and Nils gave Wesson a "really?" look and Amelia went to her bookcase. "I knew I forgot something." She said as she pulled out a botany book and went to her pack.

Wesson nodded. "Good idea to bring that." Amelia smiled in response.

An hour later, they were all called down to dinner. As they ate, Amelia began asking questions about travel food. "So, when you're on the road and far from a town, what do you eat?" She asked as she speared her broccoli.

"Wild flowers." Nils said dryly.

"And monster meat jerky!" Wesson grinned.

Luger swatted both their heads. "Really, boys? Don't worry, Amelia, we have military rations for those occasions." He assured her. "They may not taste so good, but they'll do until we reach a town. We can also buy various travel snacks at the stores in towns, if those run out."

"Ohh." She nodded. "I see. Still, good to know what flower you're about to touch." Amelia nodded.

"Especially since it could be a monster." Wesson said with a creepy smile.

Amelia gasped. "There are monster flowers?!"

"Oh, yes. They taste good boiled, though." Wesson nodded, eating some cauliflower.

"Except for the poisonous ones." Nils added, looking intently at his overcooked carrot.

"I hear you can steam the poison out, though." Wesson cut in, spearing a brussel sprout.

"Didn't help this guy any." Nils put the carrot in his mouth resentfully.

"You just don't steam it long enough." Wesson waved dismissively. "You have to steam it for five hours."

"Are you kidding me? Why wait that long when you can just harvest the poison out of it?" Nils suggested as he shoved any remaining carrots into the far regions of his plate. "Then you use it to kill something actually worth eating."

"If you poison your meal, you'll still have to get the poison out of the new meat." Wesson argued. "And anyway, poison is a slow killer. I prefer to use my revolver to hunt. Colt's rifle is best for that, though."

Luger groaned and held his head. "Boys, really. Nils, did you actually try eating a poisonous plant monster, or are you pulling the Princess's leg?"

"Eh?" Amelia blinked. "You mean it could all be made up?"

Nils pounded a fist on the table. "Do I look like I'd wanna eat a plant monster!? I'm serious about extracting the poison though." He added to Wesson.

"But, you said that steaming it didn't work for you before. So, you were trying to discredit REAL tests with a fake story?" Wesson asked teasingly. "Shame on you, Nils. For shame." He began to cut his steak.

"Woah, woah, woah." Nils held up a hand in protest. "I never said anything about actually eating one. I'm just saying the food would be too gross to be worth the wait. I mean, five hours!?"

"You said, and I quote, that steaming it 'didn't help this guy any'." Wesson leaned over the table towards him. "Do you deny this, H-07: Nils?"

"I was talking about the carrot!" Nils exclaimed as he threw one of his at Wesson's head. It bounced off and landed in the plate of steak. "Those are two different things!"

"Guys, really. In front of the princess?" Luger groaned, holding his head with both hands. Amelia giggled, watching the two bicker.

"Well, you never made that clear." Wesson said, spearing the carrot and eating it with a piece of steak. "How was I supposed to know you meant the carrot and not your silly self?"

A guard standing by the door looked upon the scene disapprovingly, but since the princess seemed amused he didn't interfere.

"Doo-doo-doooo!" Nils groaned. He reached halfway across the table as if he were ready to throttle someone.

"You really need to keep your reports coherent, Nils. What kind of soldier would you be, otherwise?" Wesson said, tossing a brusselsprout to him. It landed on Nils' head and got stuck on his goggles.

Nils brushed it off and let it fall to the floor. He glowered at the sprout as it rolled away, more to avoid eye contact with Wesson than for any dislike of the vegetable. He was in a conniving mood and would probably twist anything Nils had to say at this point.

Wesson giggled and continued eating, humming happily. He knew he'd just had a witting victory over Nils and was relishing it.

Luger sighed and uncovered his face, going back to eating his own food. "Please tell me you'll not be doing that every day of the trip."

"But, it was quite delightful seeing them interact like that!" Amelia smiled. "They seemed very human."

"Yeah. They do that." Luger sighed. "Wesson especially, and it leads to a lot of fights."

Nils growled his agreement.

"Well, I think it's very good of them to be interacting like that." Amelia smiled. "I'd like to see more of it. Especially if it's this tame; I've heard some of their not-so-tame arguments."

Luger nodded. "Those can be troubling." The guard at the door nodded wearily.

After dinner, they all gathered in the throne room for Amelia to say her goodbyes to her father and brother. A hug to each and a salute from the Holmcross to the two and General Lennox and then they were heading out to the harbor.

"I've never been at sea." Amelia said as they climbed the ramp onto the boat. "What's it like?"

"Windy, and it rocks a lot if you're on the deck. Inside, you can hardly tell you're moving." Luger told her. "We encounter a lot of sea monsters, but otherwise it's pretty safe."

"Safe, unless you're Colt and decide to jump on the fish monster as it's trying to run away." Wesson grinned as he walked by.

"Yeah…that was messy." Luger sighed.

Amelia nodded and stopped to stare at the ocean as the others went for the cabin. Luger paused and turned to her. "Princess Amelia? Let's find your room, and locate Captain Geist."

"Oh, of course!" She turned to follow, but paused and looked toward the city, gripping her Tear Drop, before heading in. 'I will come back.' She thought as Luger closed the door behind her.


	10. Year 1, Chapter 9: Blade

Springfield stepped out of a room deep in the off-limits research sector of an ARMs development facility, holding his head. A few scientists came over, concerned, but he waved them off. "I'm fine. I'll get used to it. It's quite the willful one."

"Are you sure you're alright? Should we get Professor Sylvestre?" One of the scientists asked.

"No, no. I'll be fine." Springfield said with a reassuring smile. The scientists looked doubtful, but stepped away to go back to work. Springfield sighed and looked back towards the room before walking off to another room and accessing a console. Sitting down in a chair, he began to type on a keyboard, the following appearing on-screen:

[H-05: Springfield Progress Report 006 - The GB Project is responding to me, but negotiating cooperation with it has proven difficult. I will persevere, however, and gain this new ARM's trust. Although, in my personal experience, this ARM has the worst attitude I have ever come across in ARMs. I will make note of any further progress with the ARM. H-05: Springfield out.]

Nodding, he sent it to a database and then stood up, opening the door and stopping short in surprise as he saw Vassim in front of him. "Professor." He started to salute, but stopped. "Forgive me; I keep forgetting you're not military." He smiled apologetically. "I just sent in my latest progress report. Did you need anything?"

"Nor am I a professor. Just a humble blacksmith." Vassim corrected with a smile. "I actually came to see how you were holding up. I've received your reports, and they're certainly insightful. But you look exhausted."

"I'm alright, Pr-Vassim." Springfield assured him. "I just need some rest. It's always a challenge, gaining the trust of an ARM, but it's always worth it." He smiled and nodded. "I'll manage it soon, don't worry. Just give us time to sort things out between us."

Vassim was taken aback. "I've heard people describe a special bond with their ARMs, but I've never heard it described like a couple before. Is this normal for you? Do you get that way with all ARMs?"

Springfield nodded. "All of us do, but I seem to really make connections on the personality level." He said softly. "I've always seen the ARMs as people, and have had a few animated conversations with some of them. The personalities differ based on what they've been around, just like people do, and when they are hurt you can really feel it."

Some of the scientists had paused in their work to listen, and were awed at how peaceful Springfield looked as he spoke about weapons of mass destruction. It was…a little creepy, but they could see why he in particular was sent to work on this project.

"…And what does this machine have to say?" Vassim asked after a long pause.

"That it's confused about itself and doesn't even trust itself, so why should it trust me?" Springfield shrugged helplessly and shook his head. "The magic isn't connecting well with the machine part of the ARM, and I'm also having some difficulties with it. It might lead to complications in the future."

A light seemed to come on in Vassim's head. "It doesn't like the magic, you say? That's… interesting. I admit basing it off of ARM technology does make it a little different from our usual magic-induced tech." He was speaking of the primary energy source of the Elw civilization.

Springfield nodded. "Yes. It's really making things difficult, but I feel confident that the ARM and I will pull through it together." He smiled. "Let's just try not to overload us all at once, okay? A little bit at a time should do. Machines do need time to process things, after all."

"Well, we'll tweak the settings a little for the next few days and see if we can't make it any easier for you two." Vassim suggested. "For now, why don't you take the rest of the day off. Mariel might like some help in the garden, if you're interested. A little time working the earth can really clear your head, she says."

"Alright." Springfield nodded. "Thank you, I'll go see her now. Don't overwork yourself, Profe-Vassim." He turned and walked out of the building, heading for the Elw Terminal. After the short but awesome trip to the Elw settlement, he headed out to Vassim's place and met with Sylvestre inside. "Hello, Professor. Where is Miss Mariel's garden?"

"Eh? At the edge of town, but why would you want to go there when there's all these books?" Sylvestre gestured to a book he was reading and to the fully-stocked bookshelf.

"I thought a change of pace would be good for me." Springfield said, looking thoughtful. "That, and I've heard that working the earth is good for the soul."

"Bah. Silly rabbit stuff. You should be reading with me." He pulled out another chair. "Sit down, let's talk a while. How have you been doing? Is the project hard on you?"

"Sometimes, but I feel confident I will manage it." Springfield said, taking the offered seat. "There have been some difficult times, but I've been able to get through them; albeit, with a bit of difficulty."

"Well, what have they been having you do?" Sylvestre asked. "I'm rather concerned whenever you come home, and I've been told absolutely nothing about the project itself."

"I'm just working with a new type of ARM. You know how I need to get to know them before I'll be able to work with them." Springfield chuckled a bit. "Sometimes, they can be as difficult as the debutante women in some of the novels I've read."

"As difficult as Colt?" Sylvestre asked, smirking.

"Sometimes Colt is that bad, yes." Springfield said, sighing. "But, he works through it, and I will work through this. I will know the new ARM rather well soon; I just need it to give me its trust."

"Tell me about the ARM. Will it be mass-produced?" Sylvestre put a bookmark in his book and set it aside.

"No, I don't think so." Springfield shook his head. "It's too difficult to make and work with; that's why General Lennox sent me here, since I'm better than the others at handling volatile ARMs."

"Hm. Well, what's it called?" Sylvestre asked.

Springfield gave a wry smile. "Forgive me, Professor, but I've been instructed not to reveal anything but that it's an ARM to you." He stood up and went to the door. "I'm going to go find Miss Mariel now."

"Wait, Springfield!" Sylvestre stood up and then sighed, sitting back down. "Damn it…I was so close to finding out the big secret…"

Outside, Springfield made his way to the edge of town, where a gated field was. Seeing Mariel knelt down in the field, he opened the gate and walked in.

"Be careful!" Mariel called. "You're about to step on a Magic Carrot!"

"Oh, sorry." Springfield stepped back and made his way along the marked trail around the different plant rows. "Uhm…what is a 'magic carrot'?"

"A Magic Carrot is what mages use to recover magic when they don't have a lot of food handy." Mariel explained. "I'm surprised you didn't know, Springfield." She stood up and turned to him. "I'm harvesting Heal Berries right now. Would you like to help?"

"If you would like." Springfield smiled and knelt down next to her.

She knelt down beside him and continued carefully pulling yellow berries from a green vine. "I'm on this one, so can you pick the berries off the one in front of you and put them in this basket?" She gestured to a basket between them and close to the plants.

"Of course." Springfield reached to pull one off, but accidentally squished it. "Oops…"

She looked up and smiled. "You're new to gentle work, aren't you? Here, watch me." She showed him how she carefully picked the berry off her vine, putting it in the basket intact. "Now, let me see you try."

Springfield nodded and began to carefully pick his. It was a bit squished, but not to the point of being unusable. She smiled and continued working on hers, seeing he figured it out. He watched her for a bit, and then tried again, this time succeeding in not squishing it at all. "He was right…" He murmured.

"Hm?" Mariel looked at him. "Who was?"

"Your brother." Springfield said, continuing to pick as he spoke. "He said that working the earth was soothing. You told him that, he said."

She giggled a bit. "Well, it is true." She went back to work.

Springfield looked thoughtful as he worked, then sighed. "Alright, I give. Miss Mariel, what is a Heal Berry, anyway?"

"They heal your wounds when there's no doctor or first aid kit handy. It's no good for broken or missing limbs, though." She held one of them out in her hand. "The effects are instantaneous, and depending on how strong you are before you were hurt, it can either have a full effect or only a partial one."

"Sounds like people would get dependent on them." Springfield frowned. "Are they also magical? Is there any chance of addiction as a side-effect of using them?"

"I never really considered that, but I don't think so." Mariel admitted. "It's something we Elw have been using for a long time, and we're sharing them with the humans so there's a much higher demand for them now."

"Hm. I think I'll stick with a first-aid kit and a doctor." Springfield looked at the vine in front of him. "I don't know if it would work on me, anyway."

"It might. Would you like to keep a sack, so you can try one when you next get hurt?"

Springfield looked thoughtful and nodded. "Alright, I'll try a sack and tell you how it works on Holmcross." He looked at her and smiled. "I am here to assist in research, after all. I'm just going above and beyond my duty now."

She smiled happily and continued working. The two worked in the field until dusk, and by then they had three baskets of Heal Berries, Magic Carrots, and something she called "Revive Fruit", which apparently worked like smelling salts – according to her, you broke it open over the unconscious person and they instantly woke up.

"Elw produce is so….magical." Springfield remarked, looking at the baskets. 'For lack of a better word.' He thought to himself.

Mariel giggled. "You're right, it is. Magic is a big part of our culture." She reached to take a basket, but Springfield already had his hand on the handle and she grabbed a different one. "Well, let's take these to the market and get home to make dinner."

Springfield nodded, then looked up in surprise as Mariel handed him a sack. "Oh, right. The berries."

"And I also put in a few Revive Fruit." Mariel said, smiling. "They might come in handy sometime."

"I'll make sure to let you know how they both work. Sorry we can't use the Magic Carrots." Springfield said as he tied the sack to his belt and picked up another basket.

"It's fine. You already explained that magic and you don't mix well." Mariel assured him. "Well, let's be going."

They headed off to the market and dropped off the baskets, then returned home. Sylvestre quirked an eyebrow as he saw them coming up, all smiles and holding hands.

"Springfield, what is this?" He gestured to the hands. "You're displaying affection?"

"We're friends." Springfield smiled. "I've never had a friend outside the Unit. It feels good."

Sylvestre let them go in ahead of him, grimacing as they passed. "H-05 making friends?" He muttered. "Impossible. He's not capable of such antics; that's what H-08 does." He walked off into the settlement, muttering to himself.

Inside, Mariel set to cooking while Springfield watched her. "Don't tell me you've never cooked, either." She asked teasingly.

"Well…not really. Not like that." Springfield admitted. "Don't normally see just one person doing it, either."

"How many people do they need to cook?" Mariel asked as she picked out some vegetables from a basket and began to chop them up on a cutting board. "Too many cooks spoil the broth."

"Well, I usually live with a LOT of other people." Springfield said, chuckling. "There are seven other Holmcross, and there are also the humans on the ship with us."

"Other Holmcross? Your siblings?" Mariel asked as she dumped them into the pot and began to stir with a wooden spoon.

"Siblings…" Springfield blinked. "Wesson calls us that. It's not something we usually equate with ourselves. I just see them as….other Holmcross; partners in the Unit."

"Hmm." Mariel looked thoughtful. "Well, I've never had that many siblings, I can assure you. Your mother must have a lot of strength."

"I guess?" Springfield shrugged. "You've taught me so much today, Miss Mariel. I've never done 'farming' before, and I think I'd like to do it more once the war is over."

"I'd welcome the help." Mariel smiled, going to get a packet of something out of the cupboard.

The front door creaked open and Vassim stepped inside and hung up his coat. He made an audible sigh and stretched. "What a day." They could hear the clunk of his footsteps as he walked into the kitchen. "Evening, Mariel."

"Welcome back, brother Vassim." She smiled as she poured noodles into the broth. "Dinner will be done soon. How was your day?"

"We harvested a lot of Heal Berries, Magic Carrots, and Revive Fruits." Springfield smiled, turning in his seat to face him. "I've never been told about this stuff before, even with an Elw creator."

"Well, Alana is…" Vassim sat down in a chair and poured himself a drink from a pitcher sitting on it. "Where was he wandering off to just now anyway? I greeted him, but he must have been too distracted to notice."

Springfield and Mariel both shrugged. "I'm sure he has a lot of to think about, considering his profession." Springfield offered.

"Springfield, would you help me set the table?" Mariel asked as she stirred the soup. "Brother Vassim, do you need to clean up before we eat?"

"Yes, I suppose I should." Vassim placed his drink on the table and scooted the chair out.

"Should someone get the Professor?" Springfield asked as he went to get the table fixings as Mariel requested.

"Well, he knows what time Mariel usually eats by now." Vassim replied as he walked into the other room with a small towel over his shoulder.

"I suppose so." Springfield set the bowls and glasses around the table.

Outside, Sylvestre was talking on the phone over by the edge of town. "General Lennox, I think we have a problem. H-05 is gaining affection for others not of the Unit."

"So?" The other end said. "Is it interfering with his work?"

"Well, no, but he's doing rabbit-work with Mariel!" Sylvestre said anxiously. "And becoming her 'friend'! This is worrying!"

"Why? We'll be concerned when he befriends demons, but right now he's not being ordered to kill Elw. Is he?"

"Well…no, he's not. Why would he ever?" Sylvestre looked concerned.

"Exactly. There's no worry then, is there?" General Lennox said cheerfully. "Let him continue as he is; perhaps it will help him work through his difficulties in working with civilians."

"Oh, yes. Of course." Sylvestre agreed. "Very well, I will keep watching him and ensure all is well."

"Of course you will. Take care of him." General Lennox hung up on the Elw who frowned before heading back to Vassim's place.


	11. Year 1, Chapter 10: Rafael

Colt stared blankly up at the bright lights above him, listening to the machines around him. "Professor Tiggs? How much longer am I going to lie here?" He asked, not moving his eyes from the lights. He kept thinking that if he did, they might jump at him. Maybe he'd been lying too long.

"Almost finished." Tiggs reassured from behind a console. She'd said that a dozen times already it seemed. "I'm just getting the last layer of scan inputted."

"Aaaaaaaalllllriiiiiiiight." Colt droned, blinking towards the lights to see if that would make the looming effect go away. Nope, just made it worse. Now it seemed to be moving closer whenever he blinked. Creepy.

Tiggs sighed and shook her head with a smile. "Honestly, you sound like Wesson over there. How old are you?" She didn't really wait for a reply but continued on typing until the console produced a distinct chime. "There!" She removed a data storage device and placed it inside a nearby lock-box in a drawer. She pressed a button and started towards Colt.

Colt felt a whoosh of air around him as the bed he laid upon slid out of the scanning device. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, looking very thoughtful. Tiggs pushed his wheelchair towards him and stopped short when she caught his expression.

"Something on your mind?" She asked.

"Thirty divided by two." Colt finally said, looking at her. "That's how old I am."

Tiggs cocked an eyebrow. "All that time to think about it and that's the best way you could think of to tell me '15'?" She helped him off the bed and into his seat. "Honestly, Colt. You need to brush up on your math skills."

"Seven times two plus one is seven plus x. Answer for x." Colt grinned.

"What about eight? Are you hungry again?" She moved some equipment out of the way and helped him into the hall. "And you still haven't proven you can do math above Wesson's level."

"Wesson reads college-level textbooks when it comes to math." Colt argued. "He's better."

"Goodness, I forgot about that!" Tiggs touched her chin thoughtfully. "That's it then. He must have siphoned your math skills while you slept."

"Math skills? What math skills?" Colt raised an eyebrow and grinned. "All I do is point and shoot."

"Aaalright, meat-head. I've got work to do. Go find something intellectually stimulating to do."

"Yes, ma'am." Colt said with a playful smile as he wheeled himself away.

Tiggs waved and was about to head into her lab when she stopped short and turned back to him. "Wait a minute. You're a sniper! You use math all the time!"

Colt laughed as he turned the corner, heading out into the yard to find the shooting range. As he wheeled in with one hand, he picked up his rifle and smiled. "Let's play."

"Don't play too hard." The attendant said as he passed him by.

Colt grabbed a pair of earmuffs and put them on before wheeling over to a target and taking aim. An almost sinister grin graced his features and then he fired, hitting the body-shaped target right in the head. Letting out a sigh of contentment, he proceeded to fire on the target's heart, both arms, and then it's belly. Were this a person they would be long-since dead; even a demon. After he'd sufficiently murdered the target, he lowered his rifle.

He noticed eyes on him and glanced over towards a figure off to the side behind him. "So, you like watching?" He asked as he pulled off the earmuffs and turned to the figure. "Who are you, kid?"

The kid couldn't have been more than six or seven years old. He was decked up in a thick camouflage coat like he had just come in off the snowmobile. He glanced back at Colt, but otherwise seemed transfixed on the targets Colt had just been shooting.

"Um….I'm um…" He glanced at Colt again, but looked away quickly. Apparently he was shy.

Colt wheeled over, setting the rifle in his lap. "Hey, what's the matter? You alright there, kid? You lost?"

The boy shook his head and turned to look Colt in the eye. "Are you new?"

"A little, yeah. I'm here to help Professor Tiggs with something. And for rehab." He patted his knees. "What're you here for?"

"I live here." The boy said. He tilted his head to the side and looked at Colt's legs curiously. "Did a demon do that to you?"

"Much as I'd like to say I lost them in the heat of battle, my brutal comrade did this to me when I screwed up." Colt sighed heavily. "So, where have you been…?" He gestured to him. "I don't know your name."

"In the snow." The boy replied, looking back to the targets. "Playing with Koch."

Colt hadn't seen Koch for the last few days and had begun to wonder. That was one mystery solved at least. The boy glanced back once again. "What's your name?"

"I asked first." Colt grinned. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

The boy giggled and half hid his face in his coat. Clearly he had been planning to get some info for free. "Um. I'm Raf."

"Raf, huh? I'm Colt." Colt leaned back in his wheelchair. "So, you keep staring at my target. How come?"

"Um." Raf looked back to the targets and pointed towards different spots. "I was wonder, um, which spots would kill the target fastest."

"Oh?" Colt looked toward the target. "That would be the head. Stop the brain, you stop everything. Another one is the heart." He looked at him. "Training to kill?"

"Mmm." Raf responded noncommittally. "What if…what if you missed by just a little bit and the enemy had a chance to fire back? Or what if, um, what if you just miss the heart and he dies reeeally slow?"

"If he had a chance to fire back, I'd dodge and fire again. Usually, I'm invisible." Colt grinned. "And if I miss the heart, well, we can't risk the demons taking him back for healing so I just shoot him in the head once he's weak." He shrugged. "Can't let him come back after me, after all. And it's not like we ever want them alive."

"Oh." Raf mumbled. "Um, hey, Colt?"

"Yah, Raf?" Colt asked, looking back at him.

Raf turned around and looked him dead in the eye with his arm still pointing to the target. "If they want us to kill demons, why are the targets human-shaped?"

Colt looked about to answer, then stopped and had to rethink. "Uhm…I don't know. Most demons aren't human-shaped. Ask the attendant guy."

Raf looked at the attendant accusingly. The attendant seemed to be as much at a loss for words as Colt. Raf lowered his arm and relaxed his gaze. "Can I try?"

"Try what?" Colt asked, blinking. "Shooting a target?"

Raf nodded, smiling hopefully.

"With this?" Colt held up the rifle in his lap.

Raf tilted his head again and looked it up and down thoughtfully before nodding. "It's not too big."

"Of course not. How could I run to a tower if it was big? Who do I look like, Jaivan? I can't carry a big bulky thing while running." Raf narrowed his eyes as if to say 'Who?' Colt looked at the attendant. "It's okay, right?"

"Your gun." The attendant shrugged.

"Alright." Colt looked at Raf again. "Then, have at a few rounds. Need me to show you what to do, or do you think you learned by watching?"

"I'll just ask the ARM." Raf said as he scooped it off of Colt's lap enthusiastically.

"Good idea! That's how I learned!" Colt said as Raf propped it on his shoulder and took aim. "The ARM can be the best teacher when it comes to this kind of thing, if you ask me. No amount of stuffy classes comes close. This guy taught me, too. We kinda' bonded that day." Colt rubbed the back of his head.

Raf tuned out the rambling and began to focus. His eyes glazed over and he seemed to be having an intent conversation with the rifle. It was an odd look on a child, but to Colt it was as natural as learning to walk. After a moment, Raf fired the first shot at Colt's used target. It flew smoothly through the air and managed to land dead center of the head – expanding the side of Colt's own hole. He fired a second shot at the chest and it landed near the heart next to Colt's shot. Raf's jaw dropped. He lowered the weapon and stared wide-eyed at Colt.

"I missed." He gasped.

"Raf, what did I tell you about you and missing?" The attendant said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Hey, you hit the head first try, that was pretty good. And he's still gonna die a painful, agonizing death, for whatever reason we're shooting a human." Colt shrugged. "You did great, kid."

Raf's pupils contracted and he whipped back around towards the target. He propped the gun back up and fired a few more shots into the head and chest. "Is he dead faster yet?"

"You did a headshot first." The attendant sighed. "He died then."

"Yeah, he's dead real fast." Colt grinned.

Raf sighed in relief and handed Colt back his gun. "Um, thanks."

"Way to mutilate the body, kid." Colt laughed as he took the rifle back. "Anytime you want more practice, just ask. My rifle's okay with you using him."

Raf looked aside skeptically, considering whether or not to ask if the gun had actually decided anything.

"Rafael!" They heard a voice call from the yard. All three turned around to see Koch standing in the entrance way. "I thought you were going to help me unload."

"Oh!" Raf cried. He ran up to meet her, waving goodbye to Colt as he went. Koch looked over and waved to Colt as well before the pair of them walked off.

Colt waved and then turned himself around to continue shooting targets, starting on a new one. "Why ARE they human-shaped?" He asked himself as he prepped to fire.

Later that day, Tiggs had to pick up Colt for lunch, or else he would miss it completely with how distracted he was. Colt looked up in surprise when he heard her coming in. "Oh, Professor Tiggs! Do you need something? Oh yeah, I have a question."

"Is it 'What time is lunch being served?', because the answer is an hour ago." Tiggs huffed as she stomped off the ice and onto the rubbery floor of the shooting range.

"Ah, actually…" Colt shook his head. "No, I didn't even think of that. I was wondering; why are the targets shaped like humans? Who decided that?" He lowered his gun and put the safety on.

"Um?" Tiggs started. "I…don't know. I'm guessing that, a long time ago, the main threat to humans was other humans. So they…" She gestured her head towards the targets. "You know. And the design's been that way ever since."

"Ah, okay. That makes complete sense! I think." Colt frowned thoughtfully. "Well, at least I have something new to tell little Raf." He grinned.

"Did you meet Raf already?" Tiggs asked with a hand on her hip as Colt packed up his things. Once he'd finished they both headed towards the mess hall. "I was hoping to introduce him myself."

"Yeah, he came in from out in the snow with Koch and watched me in here for a little bit before he started asking a bunch of questions. Took me a few answers to finally get his name." Colt chuckled. "Remember when Wess was that little? I think that was when he first started calling you 'mom'."

"Oh, I remember." Tiggs looked up wistfully. "Do you remember what got him started on that?"

"Yeah. You had Springfield take him out in town for the first time to interact with citizens when he was six and he hung out with a family, learning about different family titles." Colt said, smiling a bit as he wheeled himself down the hall. "We all thought it was so weird when he came home calling us 'brothers'. Springfield couldn't figure out any of what had happened between him and the kid at the playground, since he'd spent time talking to the adults that arrived with the kid. Y'know, his 'parents'." He chuckled a bit.

"Well, it was nice to see Springfield out and about at any rate. I enjoy a good book as much as anyone. But when he's not fighting he's a bit of a shut in, isn't he." Tiggs jabbed.

"Yeah, no arguments there." Colt nodded. "I'll be shocked if he even spends an hour away from his books when he's not fighting!" He laughed, Tiggs joining in as they left the shooting range.


	12. Year 1, Chapter 11: Helplessness

The ride to Milama had been exciting for Amelia, although her constant looking over the edge and going out on deck during battles to watch had caused her bodyguards and the crew a lot of grief. Finally, Luger suggested she spend some time walking around indoors talking to the crew, to get her out of the way.

"Y'know, she really should've been taken out more often. At least on short trips." Wesson said after they finally convinced her to stay inside.

Luger sighed as he watched the dead monster sink into the sea. "Yes, but they had her safety in mind. Taking her out would've endangered her."

"Not as much as it's endangering us now." Nils grumbled as he took inventory of his remaining grenades.

"Well, luckily we're almost there." Luger said. "We can get some more grenades from the ARMsmith in Milama."

"Might have to put that off!" Wesson cried, suddenly running to the higher area and pointing ahead of the ship. "Look! We've got trouble!"

"OH no." One of the crew joined Wesson. "Oh, that's a lot of demons around one port."

Milama was surrounded by demons of all variety, and ships small and large were docked. Luger joined the two up above and pulled a telescope out of his bag and looked closer. "That's the Demon General Zeikfried. Must be a really important operation, if he's there. I see Alhazad there, too." He lowered his telescope and collapsed it. "We better find another place to land and make our way by land. If we're lucky, we saw them before they saw our ship. Let's make sure we keep it that way."

"Knew I should've brought the rocket launcher." Nils sighed.

The crew member nodded and ran off to the cabin to alert the captain about the change of course. Luger turned to Nils. "Think you can hold out on your stock of bombs until we get to the city? The demons seem to just be at the port, but I could be wrong."

Nils scratched the back of his head nervously. "Ugh…Yeah, okay. I'll manage somehow."

"Yes, in retrospect, that would have been better. But, I wasn't expecting us to encounter the strongest Demon General on our travels." Luger sighed, resting a hand on his forehead. "Our duty remains the same. We must protect the princess. However, we also cannot allow the city to be besieged any longer. While I make sure the princess gets to the temple, you two will investigate and report on what they're up to." He lowered his hand and turned to the two younger Holmcross. "I shouldn't have to stress how important it is that you are not seen while you investigate. Can I trust this task to you?"

"Yes, sir!" The pair saluted.

"What's going on?" They heard Amelia call out, and they walked down to the cabin door to meet her coming out. "I heard we're changing our route?"

"Unfortunately, Milama is impossible to dock at." Luger said, gesturing to the crowd at the port. "So, we're going to have to go to it by land. I apologize for the delay, princess."

"I told you not to be so formal." She gave a little pout, then walked over to look at the crowd of demons and boats. "Oh…this could pose a problem." She said, one hand going to her mouth in surprise and shock. "What could they want with Milama?"

"Don't know. Maybe the same thing with Harvey's Corner." Wesson said, shaking his head. "Which means that things could be pretty ugly, so maybe you should stay on the ship until we've cleaned house."

"No!" Amelia stomped her foot, surprising Luger. "I'm not going to stay behind while you go save the day! It's my kingdom; let me help save it!"

"Princess…" Wesson gave a resigned shrug. "Alright, as you command."

"Very well, but if we tell you to hide, you will hide. If we say run, you run. And if we tell you to go with one of us and desert the rest, you will do just that. We can handle demons, but it's a little difficult to worry about you being hit by a stray bullet or shrapnel." Luger said firmly.

Amelia looked surprised and a little hurt by Luger's tone, but gave a quiet nod. "…I understand."

Luger nodded and turned to walk inside, motioning for the others to follow. "We better go inside and make sure we're all loaded. Nils, can you make a makeshift bomb out of things on the roadside?" He asked as they walked down the hallway. "Wesson, make sure not to waste a single bullet. While the ship here does have materials and ammo, we're going to be leaving it and we can't afford to get to Milama on low ammo."

"Yes, sir. I'll make sure my hits are as precise as I can make them." Wesson said, pulling out his revolver and checking how empty he was. "I'll need to reload before we go."

"Naturally." Luger nodded, and then turned to Amelia. "Princess, please go wait in your room as we prepare. We'll come get you when we've made landfall."

"O-Okay." Amelia nodded, heading off down another hall.

The ship made landfall at a beach just far enough away from Milama not to be seen by the demons at the port and the small group walked down the lowered ramp. "There should be a town near here." Amelia said, looking over her map. "Adelaide, I think."

"I once met an Adelaide." Wesson remarked as they stepped off the sand and onto dirt. "She had good fruit."

"How far?" Luger asked, looking over Amelia's shoulder to peer at the map. She blushed a bit and allowed him to take it from her. "Hm…about four miles from here; not too far from the Bulstrode Cliffs. Tread carefully when we approach them." Luger handed the map back and walked on with his pistol held at the ready.

Amelia watched as all three of the boys with her moved with watchful gazes, looking tenser than she'd ever seen them. A screech overhead alerted her and she cried out as she ducked low. Luger aimed his gun, but sighed and lowered it.

"It was just a hawk." He knelt down next to her. "Don't worry, it wasn't a demon."

"Really? It wasn't a demon?" She looked towards the hawk flying off towards the cliffs seen in the distance.

"No, just an ordinary hawk." Wesson assured her.

"But, what if it was a poisonous hawk monster?" She asked, taking Luger's hand and standing up.

Luger shot the other two a "you did this" look and shook his head. "It wasn't."

"But, what if it was?!" Amelia looked towards the cliffs worriedly. "What if there are more?"

"Then you can shoot 'em down with a slingshot, boil 'em for five hours, and have poison hawk stew." Nils suggested sarcastically.

Wesson laughed and shook his head. "It's just fine, Amelia. There's no poisonous hawk monster."

"Keep an eye out for harpies, though." Luger said, his gaze hardening as he looked towards the cliffs. "There have been many reports as of late of harpies attacking people near the cliffs. They seem to have built themselves a nest up on the clifftops."

"Nasty. After we restock from the battle, let's go destroy it." Wesson suggested. "Can't have that sticking around."

Luger nodded. "Good idea. Let's continue on to Adelaide." He walked on, his pistol held out at the ready again.

As they got closer to the town, Amelia saw smoke drifting into the air. "Oh, looks like there's a cook-fire going! It is about that time, isn't it?"

Wesson glanced at Nils. "I don't think that's a regular cook-fire…" He said, shaking his head a bit.

Nils cringed. "Well, something's cooking."

Amelia looked puzzled at the dark looks on all her bodyguards' faces. "What's the matter? You all have scary expressions…"

"Keep her safe." Luger said to the other two, and then ran forward towards the smoke.

"We better make sure she's hidden so we can help Luger." Wesson said, looking at Nils. "There's usually trouble if the fire's still burning."

Nils shook his head. "I do'know. The surrounding area is probably crawling. One of us should stay with her." He held open his jacket, looked at his supplies, and sighed. "And you've got the only decent weapon right now. Most I could do in either case is rig up some traps." He dropped his jacket and grumbled under his breath. "No wonder there were so many sea monsters on the way."

"So, this could be a trap?" Amelia looked alarmed.

"No, I think this is completely random and Nils just has bad luck." Wesson said, looking around.

"I meant as part of the Milama attack." Nils scowled.

"Nils, are those boulders safe for her to hide behind?" Wesson pointed to some boulders not too far from town. "No pulsating?"

"I think I would be safest if I just go with you. Luger needs help, so you should go help." She smiled. "Just bring me along. I promise I won't be in your way. Besides," She gripped the Tear Drop. "I do have one Guardian to summon, if I have to defend myself."

Wesson looked uncertain and shrugged, looking at Nils. "Well, what's your say on this? Luger said to protect her, but she is right about us needing to help him."

Nils looked like he was about to reply, but Amelia waved her hand dismissively and ran towards the smoke. "We don't have time to debate!" She called over her shoulder.

"Princess!?" Wesson cried in surprise. "Dooh—guh—ohhh, fine!" He ran after her. "Wait! Don't run off on your own!"

In the burning town, people were screaming as winged demons carried them away. As they approached, Wesson saw a little boy being carried away not too far from him and fired on the demon as he ran, hitting its wing and causing it to lower but not stop. Biting back a curse, he stopped and aimed properly, this time hitting it in the head. The child in its arms fell to the ground, and he raced to catch it, Amelia forgotten for the moment.

"Luger!" Amelia ran up to Luger, who was finishing off a few more winged demons in the town square.

"Princess, I ordered you to stay with them!" Luger snapped, turning to her. "If I hadn't just killed the last demon that hadn't escaped, you would be in serious danger!" He looked around as Nils came up behind Amelia. "Where is Wesson?"

"He was right behind me…" Amelia looked around worriedly.

"Luger!" Wesson called, carrying the child in his arms despite them being close in size. "I managed to save one of the townspeople. I'm sorry I left the Princess's side."

"…It's fine. It turned out alright this time, but we should be careful from now on not to do that. Good thing Nils was close to her." He walked over and inspected the child. "He's just unconscious. Good work."

Wesson nodded. "What happened here?"

"The townspeople being attacked seemed to be comprised of just women and children." Luger sighed. "I'm hoping that this boy here can tell us what happened to all the men."

"He needs a doctor." Amelia said, looking at them. "But, the closest one is in Milama!"

"He's not wounded, just unconscious. I imagine from shock and fear." Luger said, taking the boy and walking over to one of the semi-intact buildings. "This one is safe enough to rest in. Let's wait for him to wake up."

The party set up camp inside. Luger stayed with Amelia and the boy while Nils and Wesson made sure the area was clear of demons and the still smoldering house-fires. Though he held his tongue, Amelia could still sense Luger's disapproval. She had just begun to prepare a small uncooked meal when the boy began to groan.

"Ooooh." The young red-head blinked his eyes and looked around him. "M-mom?"

Amelia gasped and looked over at him, setting aside what she was preparing and going to his side. "You're awake! Thank goodness!"

Luger looked over from his position by the door. "How are you doing? Feeling well enough?"

The boy started to sit up. "What…what happened? Where is everyone?"

"Uhm…" Amelia looked unsure about how to answer in a delicate way. "They…"

"You were the only one we managed to rescue." Luger said, walking over to the boy. "What can you remember about before the attack?"

"Luger! You can't just ask him so suddenly! We haven't even made sure he's alright!" Amelia cried.

"Considering how he responds could affect whether we can rescue his mother or not, I'd like to find out quickly." Luger replied, glancing at her.

Amelia looked about to protest again, but bit her tongue and turned back to her work.

The boy looked wide-eyed at Luger, equally startled by his brash disposition. "Um, we- we weren't doing anything. Just normal stuff." He looked down at his fidgety hands. "Mom was hanging the laundry out to dry, and Peter was coming over to hang out. And then those- those…" He squeezed his eyes shut against tears and clenched his fist. "Those THINGS came out of the sky and snatched everyone up."

"What happened to all the fighters, though? Where did they go, that they weren't here to protect you?" Luger asked, frowning.

"The fighters?" The boy opened his eyes, tears flowing out. "We didn't have any soldiers here. They were all too busy at the big cities. It was just us alone." He wiped his eyes and started to stand up. "And then this guy came into town and started telling everyone we needed to fight the demons by ourselves."

"Guy? Who, someone from out of town?" Luger pressed.

"Yeah, I guess. No one had ever seen him before. But all the older guys – like my dad and Pete's brother – went with him to go get rid of them. But they never came back! That was almost two weeks ago. They're probably dead." The boy looked to the ground sadly.

Luger stood up and went to his bag, pulling out a radio and pushing the call button. "Wesson, Nils, I want you to go outside town and search for any bodies or wounded fighters with signs of a battle around two weeks old."

"What direction?" Wesson asked.

Luger looked at the boy. "Do you know what direction they went?" The boy shook his head. Luger pressed the call again. "20 miles in all directions."

Wesson started to say something when he cut out and was replaced by Nils. "Roger that."

Luger nodded. "Good. Remember to report any survivors and to bring them back. If you can't, give them basic first aid and I'll go with one of you while the other stays with these two."

A long pause. "Roger."

Outside, Wesson clipped the radio to his belt. "Luger's scary… and crazy."

"That's a given." Nils said, shaking his head. "How many days does he think we're gonna be here? 20 miles in EVERY direction?"

"Did you see Amelia's expression earlier?" Wesson remarked. "She looked like she'd never seen him before!"

"Yeah, well she's never been on the receiving end of his temper before." Nils said. "I wonder if we could scrounge up a car…"

"Let's check one of the houses. Not like they need their car anymore." Wesson suggested, walking over to a house with an open garage. "This car in here looks pretty good."

"Good idea; that oughta speed things up!" Nils said, going to join him. By the time he'd gotten there, Wesson had jerry-rigged the car into starting and was behind the wheel.

Nils narrowed his eyes. "Can you even see over the dash? Move over, short stuff."

"Pfft." Wesson moved over without getting out of the car. "I was just starting it up. Do I look like I know how to drive?"

"Damn straight!" Nils exclaimed as he jumped into the driver's seat.

Fortunately, Nils was going through a growth spurt and was just tall enough to still reach the pedals after adjusting the seat to a height that let him see clearly over the hood. Unfortunately, neither of them had been taught to drive.

Luger and the others looked up from their food at the squeal of tires followed by the crash of small objects being mowed out of the street. There was a quick flash as a sturdy SUV rushed by with two maniacal passengers shouting at each other, both making a grab for the steering wheel. It was gone as soon as it had come and the dust settled.

"Wha-what…?" The boy continued to stare in bewilderment.

"Was that just…?" Amelia stood up and looked out after the SUV. "But, when did they learn to drive?"

"They didn't. Nils is twelve and Wesson is ten. They CAN'T learn to drive yet." Luger stood up and walked over to look out as well. "…Nils can't drive, but he's driving anyway. This is problematic."

"Will they be okay…?" Amelia asked.

"Pray for them." Luger turned to go back to the boy.

The boy sat down slowly, his shaking renewed. They ate in silence for a moment before he spoke up again. "So…are you guys soldiers? Did you come here to get rid of the demons?"

"Well, we hoped to get rid of them all before they got away." Luger sighed. "Unfortunately, the attack was so sudden that we didn't know until we happened upon it by chance. It was a stroke of luck that we managed to get here in time to stop them from taking you. I apologize for us not knowing sooner."

"Oh…" The boy played with his food, looking around awkwardly. Suddenly he looked up and tried a smile. "I'm Tony."

"I am…Luger." Luger smiled softly.

"I am Amelia Eleanor Adlehyde." Amelia said, smiling as she walked over and sat next to him again. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tony."

"Are you guys gonna be able to save my mom and the others? How many of you are there? Did you bring a whole army!?" Tony clenched his dish excitedly.

Luger looked at him and then stood up. "Well, not really. Not an army. But, the three of us can be as good and effective in battle as an army combined." He smiled. "If there's any chance of saving your mother and the others, we will take it and bring her home to you. In the meantime, just try to keep smiling." He pulled out his pistol and began to reload it. "After the others are done locating the missing fighters, we'll head out to the cliffs. It is my hope that they will bring some fighters back with them."

Amelia smiled. "That's the gentle Luger I know." She whispered.

Around ten miles west, Wesson and Nils looked around for any sign of the missing fighters. "So…do we actually know WHAT we're looking for? He just suddenly ordered us out here, but 20 miles is pretty far to check in one direction."

"Which is why we got the car." Nils said, patting the dashboard.

"I guess. Hey, there's some structure down that way!" Wesson pointed to a shadow on the horizon to the right. "Let's drive over and check it out; maybe it's an outpost!"

Nils gave the structure a scrutinizing look. It consisted of a series of small segments that had an unusually round shape. As they got closer the features began to come clearer. Small branches seemed to stick out of each of the segments and…

Nils slammed hard on the breaks and they came to a skidding stop near the 'structure': short piles of dead men arranged in a circle. A select few men laid in the center in an almost floral pattern with their arms folded over their chest. Whoever had done it had even gone to the trouble of closing the eyes of every single person, giving a mocked sense of peace to their faces.

"…You've gotta be f-ing kidding me." Nils said, opening the door.

"Looks like Break's been here." Wesson said, opening his door and climbing out of the car. "Come and gone long ago. I don't think there's a single survivor." He walked over and knelt next to one of the men. "…Nils, there's no wound on this guy! Not a one! He wasn't killed by Break's rapier!"

Nils knelt down next to one of the other men and looked him over, turning his nose up at the smell. "Uck. No, there aren't any on this one either, or on any of these guys." He stood up and brushed himself off. "My guess is he used some kind of poison or gas. I'll run some chemical tests on the soil, and then on these guys if nothing turns up. Well, as much as I can without a full lab."

Wesson nodded, and then pulled out his radio. "Luger, this is Wesson."

There was a small pause. "Report." Luger replied.

"We found the fighters. We haven't had a chance to count them yet, but I'd say there's well over two dozen here. All of them have been killed by something that didn't leave any marks, but from the way they've been laid out like some flower field, I'd say it's Break's doing."

"What do you theorize killed them?" Luger asked.

"Nils thinks he used some kind of poison or gas, but that sounds more like Alhazad, who we know to be in the area. It's likely they were working together on this attack, and are also responsible for the attack on Adelaide." Wesson said, looking over at the bodies. "From the smell, I'd guess they've been dead for about the amount of time they've been missing. They haven't decomposed yet, so whatever killed them must have had some kind of preservation side-effect. They've been made to look like they're all asleep."

"Alright. Be careful, whatever killed them could still be out there. Does Nils have any gas masks in his bag?" Luger asked.

"Dunno, but I'm pretty sure that if it was going to affect us, it would've already. Unfortunately, thanks to his arrangements, we can't tell if they died in agony or painlessly." Wesson grimaced, looking over at Nils. "You gotta admit it; Break is good at his disturbing artworks. Hardly a trace of suffering on them."

"Well, let me know if you see anyone there that looks like Tony." The radio crackled.

Wesson looked confused. "Who's 'Tony'?"

"The little boy. His dad is out there somewhere, supposedly. Tell me if you do or don't find him. If you don't, then it's likely he was taken where all the civilians were and we must hurry all the more to rescue them."

"Roger." Wesson nodded. "I'll keep an eye out." He clipped it to his belt and walked over to Nils. "Nils, Luger says that we have to find out if the kid's dad is among these guys. Keep an eye out."

"Sure, while I'm at it I'll run a 30 mile marathon in 20 minutes." Nils scoffed, glancing up from his dirt sample. "Pledge a dollar for every mile I make within the time limit. Proceeds go to all the recently orphaned children that I've seen for no more than 5 minutes in my whole life."

Wesson walked over to one of the floral patterns. "Wow, someone here forgot to take his happy-pills this morning, didn't he? I'll help, so stop fretting." He looked over the different faces, picturing Tony's face in his head as he did. "'Course, we're screwed if he looks just like his mom and nothing like his dad. Or if he's actually not REALLY his dad. Y'know?"

"Pffft, yeah." Nils stood up, tucked the sample into a pouch, and started looking over some of the faces in the pile. "Guessing Lu would get mad if we just laid them all out in front of the kid. Anyway, we're not solving anything by looking for this guy."

"It'd upset him for sure, so we better not." Wesson looked thoughtful. "Luger said there's a chance he was captured like the civilians if we don't find him, so maybe we can assume that's what happened and hope it is?" He shrugged with a sheepish grin.

Nils shook his head. "Let's just start carting some of these guys back in. I need to see about finding some real lab equipment anyway. We may as well let Lu look over them while you watch the princess." He paused, having a sudden thought. "Unless you think these guys are booby-trapped."

"Well, knowing Alhazad, they could be." Wesson looked unsure about touching the bodies. "And if they died by anything scientific, it'd be his doing."

Nils sucked in his breath. "Damn."

While the young soldiers split up to carefully examine the bodies, preparing to disarm any potential traps, a pair of sharp eyes watched from the cliffs. A clawed hand held a half-mask as a figure leaned against the wall, looking out a small cave in the cliffside. "Well, well. So, they've actually come and checked out my handiwork. That will keep them busy a little while, giving Zeikfried plenty of time in Milama before they arrive." He chuckled, and then the mask was placed onto a face, obscuring half of it vertically. "And then, it's time for the real show to begin." Sharp teeth were exposed as he grinned.

"Do you truly think it will go as well as you plan?" A voice said behind him. "As lovely as it all seems to be going, they have had a few encounters with you before. Hee-hee-hee."

Break glanced over his shoulder. "Don't worry; it will go exactly as planned. Just make sure that you don't screw up, Al."

"Do you enjoy watching them scramble?" The large white robed demon floated over to Break's side to look out at the two looking around the bodies. "They're ruining your artwork."

"My greatest masterpiece is yet to be created, Alhazad." Break waved it off dismissively with a human hand. "This is merely a doodle in comparison to the poetry and beauty I will soon concoct."

"Well, let's see how long it takes my present to affect them." Alhazad giggled. "It's not lethal, but I do want to see how their bodies react to it."

"Pay attention then; they're about to uncover one now." Break chuckled, gesturing to the view.

Down below, Wesson determined that there was nothing on the bodies themselves and looked at Nils. "Alright…let's move them to the car. Help me lift this guy?"

"Yup." Nils replied as they moved the first body from the center circle.

It was awkward since they were both smaller and the poor man had long since stopped supporting his weight, but they managed. They took him to the car and laid him across a set of passenger seats that had been converted into flat storage space. They then went to grab the second of five. It went well enough, but something felt off. By the third body they were beginning to feel winded already. Once they had finished with him Nils leaned his arm and head against the car and caught his breath. Wesson was likewise leaning his back against it.

"Hey," Nils gasped. "Doesn't something feel a little…off?"

"Yeah…but, maybe it's just the weight?" Wesson suggested, holding his head. "Or maybe it's because we forgot to eat before heading out here…or the heat is getting to us…I dunno. I feel dizzy, but we gotta get the rest of these guys in." He pushed off the car and went to the fourth guy, kneeling next to him. "Hey, Nils. What are these funny holes?" He asked, noticing holes where the bodies lay before. "I didn't notice them before…"

"Holes…?" Nils walked over and knelt next to Wesson. He stared intently, and then did the same with the other holes. As he looked back to the first hole his eyes grew wide. "Gas! Wess, get back!" He pulled Wesson away from the hole and started digging through his pack. "Gas mask, gas mask. Why didn't we do this before? Agh." He rubbed his eyes.

Wesson stumbled over one of the bodies and cried out as he hit the ground. "Uuuungh…I feel sick…Nils…" He looked around, his vision cloudy. Was that…? "Something's…coming." He pushed himself to his feet and drew his revolver, aiming it at the approaching shapes in the sky.

"Wess!" Nils called, handing him the first gas mask. Wesson put it on and Nils put on the second just as his vision was also beginning to go.

Screeches began to fill the air and, even without seeing clearly, they knew they were being surrounded by harpies.

Nils pushed himself up as well and pulled out one of his few remaining grenades, not that it would do a lot of good against small aerial targets. "This kind of s" Screech! "always happens to us."

Wesson breathed in and out for a bit before he gripped his revolver tighter. "Karma just…hates us." He replied, firing at one of the harpies and letting out an audible hiss as he missed. "Great. Wasted bullet…stupid eyes, work!" He fired again, this time hitting a wing, but a harpy swooped down and stole his mask. "Hey!"

Nils put away the grenade, took his own mask off, pulled his cloak close over his face, and pulled the mask over Wesson's face. "Here." He said. "Don't lose it this time."

"Thanks." Wesson said, holding his mask on with one hand as he fired with the other.

Nils went to work securing the mask. The exchange proved harder than it should have been. Aside from their own coordination problems, they also had to dodge harpies while Wesson somehow fought them back. Just as he had finished fastening the mask, a harpy swung low and knocked Nils in the head. He fell backwards as a pair of them jumped on him.

"Hey, get off my brother!" Wesson yelled as he fired at the harpies, hitting one in the side and the other just barely missing being shot as it flew up off Nils. The one that was hit let out a screeching hiss and fell off, starting to scramble away before Wesson fired at it again, killing it. Seeing that this wasn't an easy fight after all, the remaining harpies fled into the sky.

Nils look up and nodded his thanks to Wesson. That's when he took notice of something. "Wess, your radio!" He cried as he went to cover his face again. His fingers stumbled and shook. "Le'me see it."

Wesson took his radio off his belt and handed it over. "Here." He still felt dizzy, though, and slumped to the ground. "Nngh…I think the adrenaline's worn off. I feel dizzy again."

Though it took considerable effort, Nils wasted no time in going for the call button. "Lu, ten m-miles west. Can't….come in!"

Back at the abandoned building, Luger noticed his radio squawking and picked it up. "Wesson? Nils? Come in, this is Luger. What's going on?"

Amelia looked over in alarm from where she was sitting with Tony, who had fallen into a fitful nap. "What's going on?"

"Don't know. He said ten miles west and cut out." Luger frowned and turned to the door. "We'll have to take another car. Ready to go? We'll need to bring the boy."

"O-Of course!" Amelia gently picked up the sleeping child and walked over to Luger, who had picked up their bags and was heading out the door to a house nearby. She gasped as he set the bags down and wrenched the garage door open, holding Tony close. "Luger! That's illegal!"

"Do I look like I care? Get in the car." Luger said as he jerry-rigged the sports car.

Amelia looked helplessly at his illegal action, but put Tony in the back seat and buckled him in before climbing in the passenger side and doing the same to herself.

"Good. Let's go." Luger said, pushing on the gas and peeling out of there at a speed Amelia doubted was safe. He had an expression that frightened her on his face, and he was watching the setting sun as he drove towards it. "I better not be too late…" He muttered, looking around as he reached the ten-mile mark for the structures. He spotted a car parked near something and turned to head for it.

As soon as he saw them, he hit the brakes and got out, firing at a few curious demons approaching the two on the ground. "Get back! Back, you scumbags!" He yelled, and then he knelt next to Nils and shook him gently. "Don't be dead. Wake up. Wake up!"

Amelia carried Tony with her as she joined him, setting him down by the car as she checked on Wesson. "Are they okay?"

Nils' eyes slowly opened half-way. His arms were limp, but he seemed to be breathing. "Lu…gas. Get ou-…" And he fainted again.

Luger glanced at the holes and then picked Nils up, carrying him to the sports car and put him in the car before he returned for Wesson. "Get back in the car. Now." He told Amelia firmly.

"A-Alright!" Amelia picked Tony up and carried him to the car, buckling him in alongside Wesson and Nils.

"What in Guardians' name happened?" Luger growled as he hit the gas and sped off from there, heading back to the town.

They got back to town and Luger got them into the abandoned house again, laying both his comrades down and taking Wesson's mask off. "Wesson, wake up! Nils! Both of you, wake up!"

Amelia brought her hand to her mouth with a horrified expression as she carried Tony in. "Luger…"

"They're still alive!" Luger snapped. "Amelia, I need you to put Tony down and get me some water for these two. Something tells me they're gonna need it when they wake up."

Amelia nodded and quickly set Tony down, going to their stock of water. "What happened?"

"They inhaled some kind of strange gas." Luger grimaced. "We had just arrived, so we weren't affected. Still, let's wait to see if anything happens to us while we wait for them to recover."

Amelia whimpered a bit. "They don't look wounded at all…just sick."

"Gas doesn't leave marks. And it looks like they had a bit of a scuffle, but it's unrelated." Luger informed her, pulling off his jacket and folding it to give Wesson a pillow, doing the same with Nils' cloak to give him one. "We might be here a while, may as well find out if this town has anything to restock. I don't like being this close to the Bulstrode Cliffs…"

As the group recovered in town, Break continued to watch from the cliffside, chuckling a bit. "Well, that went well."

"They didn't last as long as anticipated." Alhazad sounded disappointed.

"Hey, they managed to beat off the harpies and protect each other while in that state. I'd say that's pretty good." Break left his window and walked deeper into the cave. "Well, I think we're done playing here. Let's go prepare for the next stage, Al."

Alhazad giggled and then the two vanished in a couple flashes of white light.


	13. Year 1, Chapter 12: Conviction

The sun streaked down through the smoke and dust covered window. It danced across the wall and glinted off of china left unceremoniously on the table. Wesson rested on a couch, testing the renewed flexibility in his muscles. The fires outside had finally died out and, but for the complete silence in the streets, the demon attack yesterday seemed like little more than a bad dream. They could all feel the silence though, even as Amelia and Tony helped serve a small breakfast to the others. It was thick enough to cut a knife through it.

"Thanks." Wesson said softly as he received his food.

Tony grinned. "Yeah, well. It's an old family recipe. Except that it's not my house and we had to replace most of the ingredients."

"We made do." Amelia smiled softly. "How are you feeling, Wesson and Nils?"

"You still haven't said what exactly happened." Luger said, looking over from his post by the door. "Just something about gas."

"Break's handiwork, that's what." Wesson said, biting into his breakfast. "He and Alhazad set up a little surprise for anyone that moved the bodies."

"So, there were no survivors?" Luger frowned.

"You saw that mess, didn't you?" Nils mumbled without looking up from his food. He was sitting huddled in a corner with a water canteen within arm's reach.

"I'm sure there were, but they were all taken away." Wesson continued eating, done talking for now.

Tony frowned and looked at Amelia pleadingly. "Dad's not…he's not gonna come back, is he."

Nils laughed and looked at Luger. "We've seen demons do some pretty sick stuff, but this is extreme even for them. Why kill the men separate from the women? Why not just blow the place to bits like usual?"

"Well, This IS Break and Alhazad. When can we ever expect THEM to do anything 'usual', especially together?" Luger shrugged. "I imagine this is only the start of whatever 'game' they've concocted this time. We're in for a rough time."

Amelia looked at Tony. "I'm sure he was just captured. We can still save him!" She nodded with a smile. "We'll bring him home, don't worry!"

After they finished their breakfast, the group packed up and Luger turned to the other two. "One of us will have to stay behind and watch them while the other two destroy the harpy nest. Who will stay?"

"We need able fighters at the nest." Amelia said, looking thoughtful. "Actually, I think we should all go. If we leave someone here, they could be attacked while we strike the nest. And I'm not going to stand by and let them take any more people!" She gripped the Tear Drop. "This time, I will fight!"

Wesson looked at Nils. "Great, she's being headstrong again…" He muttered, shaking his head.

Luger looked uncertain about the intelligence behind her choice. "Amelia, you can't fight hand-to-hand. How will you fight?"

"I have one way, a way only I can use. I know he will help us." Amelia said softly.

Luger looked confused, and then his eyes widened. "The Castle Rune? Guardian Zeldukes, you mean?"

"He will protect us all." She smiled. "And, I think you can teach me some hand-to-hand combat after this. I refuse to be useless while my people are hurt!" She threw her hands out to emphasize her statement. "This is my conviction!"

"Conviction." Luger sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "…Very well. We'll keep the boy safer by bringing him, as you say. I wouldn't be down a fighter, either. But, remember my rules from earlier still apply. I'm giving you far too much leeway as it is, and we can't have you and the boy endangered by your 'conviction'."

"I understand." Amelia seemed pleased that he'd agreed to her idea. "Then, we should prepare to go."

"Yes, we should. Let's head to the stores and take anything we find that we can use." Luger walked out, his pistol out to fire at any enemies they might come across.

As they went to join him, Amelia hung back a bit. "Hey…uhm, boys? I was wondering…did I upset Luger last night?"

"Hah?" Wesson blinked as he and Nils stopped to look at her.

"Well, he was so cross…" Amelia looked a bit glum at the memory.

Nils shook his head. "No, he's always like that."

"That was actually one of his good days when he's on the field." Wesson whispered. "What he usually shows you is his 'gentleman face'."

"Oh." Amelia blinked, looking surprised.

They took the sports car and wandered about looking for the tools they needed. There was a small munitions shop, but no ammo for ARMs. They could use it in their guns, but using the more powerful abilities was out of the question. Wesson and Luger were disappointed, but Nils was more than happy to take a pistol and a cache of ammo for it. Sadly, the shop didn't seem to have anything larger.

Amelia reluctantly received one as well, just in case, and Tony was instructed to carry some extra ammo. "How come I don't get a gun?" He complained.

"Because you haven't been trained to use one. Besides, you're just a kid." Luger said, looking over a case of ammo.

"But he's the same age as me!" Tony pointed to Wesson who was still trying to find the right size for his revolver.

"I'm different, though." Wesson said, finding the right size and putting a few into his bag.

"'Different' how?!" Tony protested.

"I've been trained to fight with this since I was born." Wesson replied, walking outside.

"Well, then teach me!" Tony cried. "I'll learn!"

"You'll learn to shut up and follow instructions!" Nils barked. "We don't have time to teach you."

"Then, why hand this to me?" Amelia looked confused. "I don't know how to shoot."

"I'll teach you. It's better than hand-to-hand." Luger replied, making sure he had ammo for Amelia's gun. "Just make sure to pay attention to the lessons, or you'll shoot your foot off. Literally. Colt did that once, when he was fooling around."

"At least he didn't grenade his foot off." Nils said.

"Your foot's intact though." Wesson pointed out.

"Most of it is…" Nils looked away, flushing.

They next went to a hardware store in the hopes of finding grenade supplies, and more gas masks. The ones they found were intended for construction and utility work and were a different quality from Nils' remaining mask. Hopefully they would do the trick if Alhazad showed up with more of that gas.

"Don't know why you guys didn't bring your own to begin with." Nils said as he took one for each of them off the shelf. "Need to replace my extra too."

"I don't normally encounter gas, so I didn't think about it." Wesson replied. "Messing around in that stuff is your expertise, bro." He tried a mask on to make sure it fit, and then stuck it in his bag.

Finally, they went to the town's primary grocery and drug store to replenish food and medical supplies. It didn't have much in the way of travel food aside from boxed snacks or jerky, and the fresh food proved to be too bulky or perishable to carry. However, they did manage to find a decent supply of medicines and bandages.

"Pete's dad worked here." Tony said glumly. "He was really good with everyone. Even if you didn't have a lotta money he'd make sure you'd get your medicine. Even if he had to help pay for it…" He trailed off and continued looking around, occasionally making comments about another person's station.

Amelia looked concerned. "Poor boy…he's lost so many people close to him in such a short time. If I were to lose my father so soon after mother…" She let out a soft sob at the idea.

After they finished in the store they broke off into smaller activities. Nils went into a library and started constructing a variety of grenades while Luger and Amelia went over the basics of her pistol at the gun shop. Wesson and Tony talked about Tony's mom and dad, with Wesson talking about Professor Tiggs.

A couple hours later they met back at the car. Luger loaded in their bags and then climbed in the front. "Nils? Remind me to give you lessons in an empty field after this is over, since you're so keen to already learn."

Nils grinned eagerly.

Luger sighed and then they drove off to the cliffs. "Remember, gas masks on at all times. We don't want any more surprises."

"Yes, sir." Wesson said, glancing over to where they'd left the SUV as they drove nearby it. "We really need to bury them, though…" He glanced at Tony, who hadn't seen the bodies through him and Nils.

"We'll disarm the traps and clean up the mess later." Nils said. He also glanced at Tony who had turned white. "Then we'll finally go over some samples and try to figure out exactly what they used."

Luger nodded. "For now, we attack the nest and rescue anyone they have up there."

"I was thinking…" Wesson suddenly spoke up. "What if…"

A screeching interrupted Wesson, and the car swerved to avoid a harpy trio swooping down on them. "Hang on!" Luger yelled as he drove the car around to the bottom of the cliff. Then he stopped it and got out, firing on the approaching harpies. "We're going to have to force them to bring us up, so let's not kill them yet. Nils, we need rope!"

Nils nodded and pulled a coiled length out. Luger knotted it into a lasso and aimed high, letting the rope fly. It caught a harpy around the neck and as it tried to fly away he ran and jumped up, grabbing onto it. "Oh no, you're not going anywhere." He said as he gripped the rope. "Now, fly!"

The harpy let out a screech as it tried to shake him off, flying higher and higher up the cliff. When they got just past the top, Luger gripped the rope and swung off, landing with rope in hand. Then he turned to the harpy and tugged the rope, pulling it closer to him. With a cold smile, he pulled the rope off the captured harpy and said "Thanks." before shooting it in the heart. The harpy let out a cry as it fell to the ground below, Luger dusting himself off as it did.

Wesson moved Amelia back from where she was standing at the bottom, just in time to avoid the dead harpy and then looked up as the rope was lowered. "Alright, now we have a way up."

Luger tied the rope securely to a rock and went about covering them as they climbed. All the same, Wesson ended up shooting a few down on the way. Nils climbed up last and busied himself with coaxing the other two up.

"I've never had to climb up a rope before." Amelia squinted as a strong wind blew and rocked them around at the halfway point.

"Me neither." Tony said, clenching extra tight. "Not like this anyway."

"You wanted a crash course, kid?" Nils called up. "This is it. Now keep moving!"

"Who're you calling 'kid'?" Tony glared as they slowly continued onward.

After a long fitful climb they finally reached the top only to be greeted by a harpy ambushing them in the face. In a panic Amelia quickly fired and managed to hit it in the head. The three boys all looked at her in surprise, then back in front of them where they found Luger surrounded by harpies. A pair of them was aiming to lift him by the arms while a number of others attacked from all sides. He was kept quite busy and had yet to notice their arrival.

"I'll stay here with them." Nils said to Wesson. "You get over there."

Wesson nodded and ran over, firing at the two trying to lift Luger away. "Get off him!"

Luger glanced over as Wesson joined him. "Good to have you here. Ready for a long fight?"

Wesson grinned. "I'll manage." He then fired on more harpies, back-to-back with Luger to ensure neither of them got attacked from behind.

A harpy went for the other group and Nils shot at it, stopping it dead before he fired on more coming out of the cliffs.

"This advance guard is kind of a pain." Wesson remarked.

"Yeah, well, this IS their nest." Luger replied. "Did you expect them to LET us destroy it?"

"No." Wesson shrugged and fired at another harpy coming out. "Like shooting moles back at training." He smiled.

A large horde of harpies suddenly came out and started attacking, beating down relentlessly. While they were doing well enough, things took a turn for the worse when they had to reload and weren't getting a chance to. Suddenly, a bright, blue flash shone around the area and they felt a sudden burst of energy like they could endure almost anything. Luger shoved a few harpies back and reloaded, firing on them again. Finally, the harpies retreated back inside, giving the group time to breathe and recover.

"What…was that?" Wesson panted, looking over at Amelia, who was holding a slab of rock. "The…Guardian?"

She nodded, smiling. "I told you he would help us."

"Wooow." Tony looked Amelia up and down in awe. "I would never even dream you could do something like that. Talk about deceptive appearances."

"Let's just blow this place from out here." Nils suggested, picking out the right grenade.

"We still have to find the townsfolk." Luger reminded him.

"Right." Nils dropped his jacket and arms, disappointed.

After they'd dressed their injuries and reloaded, Luger armed his weapon and started cautiously towards the entrance. "Let's go." He said, motioning them forward slowly.

They went in roughly the order they climbed, with Luger and Wesson taking the advance and Nils acting as the rear guard. The cavern was quiet except for their footsteps and the occasional drop of water. It looked deep, but there was a lot of natural light coming in from the various entrances. On multiple occasions they found themselves coming out onto another piece of open cliff. Tony started to whistle once until Wesson hushed him with a hand over his mouth. The sky had just finally begun to dim when Luger stopped them with a hand across the path.

"Wait." He whispered. "I think we're almost there, let's move carefully and silently." He looked at Tony when he said 'silently', then moved a bit closer and looked around a corner. Wesson joined him, seeing harpies around a big nest full of eggs the size of cats, with no sign of any humans in the area. "No humans." He turned back to the group and then motioned for them to move back a bit down the path.

"Well?" Amelia whispered when they were far enough away. "Did you see anyone?"

"No." Luger shook his head. "Not even bones."

"I thought it was odd." Wesson whispered. "The harpy I saved Tony from wasn't heading for the cliffs. Not this one, at least."

Jaws dropped.

"Wess…" Nils groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Why did you wait until NOW to mention that? How much time did we waste here?"

"I was going to earlier, but I got distracted by the harpy attacks." Wesson pouted.

"Well, which way DID they go?" Luger sighed.

"I think…the Mountain Pass." Wesson said, nodding. "Yeah, that direction."

Luger sighed and looked at Nils. "Blow them. Let's get out of here."

Nils grinned and pulled out a grenade. "Better clear the area." He said over his shoulder.

The others made their way back to the nearest exit. After a couple minutes they heard a loud explosion. Luger took alarm and rushed their progress.

"Come on." Luger said briskly as he guided Tony and Amelia one after the other by the shoulder.

They had just reached a wide open space out on the cliff when they heard another explosion followed by nervous laughter and screeching. A third explosion ensued which produced a red glow from the entrance way that stuck out in the darkening light of late afternoon. Just as they began to wonder, Nils ran out of the cave and ducked to the side followed immediately by a cloud of fire and debris. As a finale a number of harpies flew wildly out into the sky with their feathers all ablaze.

"Woah! You guys see that?" Nils exclaimed. He pointed to the mess and dying harpies while looking back to them. The rumble of a cave-in could be heard in the distance. Tony leaned back, just a little freaked out.

"Yeah, you okay?" Wesson asked, looking him over. "Lose anything?"

"What're you talking about? I'm the picture of perfect health." Nils replied with a frown. He turned around and held his arms out for Wesson to look him over.

Wesson looked at him with a serious expression, and then his hands shot out as he began to tickle him. "Yep, you look just fine!" He laughed.

"Gad, no!" Nils cried, curling up. "Get 'im off! Get 'im off!"

Luger chuckled and shook his head. "No, I think I'll let you suffer a bit longer for worrying me two days in a row."

Amelia giggled and reached over to join in. "Come on, laugh!"

"Noo!" Nils cried, trying to fight back the natural impulse.

Tony also began to laugh with them until he spotted a crippled harpy crawling out of the cave and coming towards them. "Look!"

They all turned at his alert. Luger pulled out his pistol and fired on the harpy's intact wing before he walked over and gripped its head-feathers roughly. "Where did your people take the townspeople yesterday? Talk!"

"Agh! You won't—urguh—find them, human. Lord Alhazad will—hhng—make sure of that." The harpy smirked at him, but a rough tug on one of her wings made her cry out in agony.

"And? Where is Alhazad now?" Luger asked coldly, a cold gleam in his eye. "Tell me, demon."

"You're going to kill me either way, so just do it!" The harpy hissed.

"No. I'm not giving you that mercy until you give me my information." Luger tugged on her wing harder. She flailed, but a boot crushed the back of her hand, keeping her still. "Now."

"A-Alright, fine! If it will make the pain stop, I'll tell you!" The harpy cried out. "They're underneath the Luminous Woods! There's a button on the back of the largest boulder there; that opens the way in. Just kill me already!"

"As you wish." Luger released her wing and pulled out his gun. "Wesson, Nils, take the others down. They don't need to see this."

Wesson nodded and took Amelia's hand. "C'mon, back down the rope. We'll meet him at the bottom."

Amelia looked worriedly at Luger and climbed down at Wesson's behest, Tony and Nils following shortly after. They had climbed low enough not to see Luger anymore when they heard the sound of a gun followed by a light thud. Amelia looked down in despair only to see the bodies of their other dead foes littering the bottom of the cliff. She sucked in her breath and rested her head against the rope. She attempted to take a moment of silence but was interrupted by Tony's shoes against her head.

"Sorry, Amelia." The boy said, curling his leg back up.

"No, excuse me." Amelia smiled politely but half-heartedly.

They got to the bottom and waited. Wesson guarded the perimeter for survivors while Nils watched Luger shimmy down the rope. The ground around them was covered in bullet-hole ridden or scorched harpies. If they were to all be piled together it would be no less than the deceased village men who were even now equally left in the sun.

"Come on, Wesson. I promise to aim real good!" Tony was pleading for an attempt to try his revolver.

"Tony, I want you to learn to use a normal gun before you try synching with my personal ARM." Wesson said firmly. "Ask if you can use Amelia's."

Luger came down the rope, wiping something off his face with one hand and then folding and pocketing the cloth he used. "Alright, let's head for Luminous Woods."

"Luger!" Amelia walked over to him, ignoring Tony's attempts to talk to her. "What was the meaning of that? You didn't need to kill him!"

"Her. Harpies are all female." Luger corrected. "And, yes, I did. For one thing, she begged me to. For another, the only good demon is a dead one. If she lived, she and her new ilk would've come after us." He walked over to the car and got into the driver's seat. "Let's get going. We've spent too much time here already."

"Luger!" Amelia cried.

"Leave him." Wesson said, shaking his head. "You're not winning this one, Amelia. This is our way. The army's way. The only good demon is a dead one." He then went to get into the car.

Amelia was at a loss. She'd never seen Luger so cold to anyone, so how could he be so cruel to a helpless demon? One that was surrendering?

The sun set behind them as they returned to town, allowing a chill air to settle around them. Amelia barely noticed the difference.


	14. Year 1, Chapter 13: Luminous Woods

8:00 in the morning on the third day. The large tires of their newly borrowed SUV rumbled beneath them as they bumped along. They had traded in the sports car partially because they were in need of something that could handle the unpaved forest floor, and partially to avoid having to mess with the local gas station. Tony sat in the back seat with Wesson and asked him a bunch of questions about being in the army.

"So, was, like, your dad in the military? Is that how they let you in so young? 'Cause I really wanna help fight the demons now."

Wesson shook his head. "My….'dad' is a scientist. So is my mom. I have a kinda' special circumstance that makes me different from you, but I'm not sure if you'd get it."

"Boo!" Tony jeered. "I'm almost a grown up. I can understand anything." He crossed his arms confidently.

"Describe the basic structures of the different parts of a rocket." Nils jumped in from his seat on the other side.

"What?" Tony responded quizzically. "No! I mean important stuff."

"Well, okay." Wesson looked at Tony. "Well, do you know how babies are made? They're born from a mother and a father, right?"

"Psh'yeah. I know that." Tony waved.

"Well….we—my brothers and I—weren't born from a mother and father. We were created by a couple scientists in a lab." Wesson said, shrugging a bit. "From the moment we were 'born', we have been able to wield and fire weapons like this." He held up his revolver. "Nils and Luger, too. And we're not the only ones."

"Wait, so you're like…robots or something?" Tony asked.

"Guess you could put it that way." Wesson shrugged with a smile. "We're artificially-created humans, made to fight the demons."

"So, you're like…robot super-heroes." Tony thought aloud. "Cool! Hey, can I be one?"

"Uhm…" Wesson looked unsure on how to answer. "Well…"

"Oh, right. I get it. I'd have to be a cyborg." He looked back and forth between the two. "Hey, if I joined the army do you think they'd make me a cyborg?"

"It'd hurt." Nils warned. "You have no idea how much."

"Yeah, every time we have to get a limb repaired, it really hurts." Wesson nodded. "I remember one time I got my hand bit off by a demon – I think it hurt more to get it replaced than when I lost it."

Tony looked at Wesson's gloved hands. "Can I see?"

"Hm? Okay." Wesson blinked and nodded, and then setting his revolver in his lap unbuckled the strap on his right glove and pulled it off. "See, it's a little hard to tell without knowing what to look for, but there's a slight discoloration on this hand compared to the rest of the arm." He held out his arm, pulling up his sleeve. "See? It's paler from the wrist down, because of what they had on hand. It's partly why I started wearing gloves, actually."

Tony looked a little grossed out. "So, is that someone else's skin? Like a skin graft?"

"Naw, it's made from scratch." Nils said. "It just has slightly different amounts of stuff of stuff, like the melanin that makes your skin color."

"Melon what?" Tony asked under his breath. "So…So, it wouldn't look all super-cool and robot like?"

"There's nothing 'super-cool' about literally having your bones and joints exposed!" Wesson frowned.

"Couldn't they just do a metal outside like the golems have?" Tony suggested helpfully.

Nils sighed and pulled the shoe and sock off of one of his feet. "Check this out."

The exposed foot was made of a rough metal-like material from about the heel on down to the toes. A few small scars were on it, retaining the whitish color that they would on normal skin. Yet the point of 'attachment' was flawless. Just a freaky and sudden change in skin color.

"Woah. I was expecting something a little more…blocky." Tony admitted, jaw agape.

"Nah. It's not even any tougher than the old foot." Nils admitted as he pulled his sock back on.

By now Amelia was watching the conversation with mild interest.

"Having fun back there?" Luger asked as he glanced at them in the rearview mirror. "We're going to stop to rest soon. I need a break sometime, and Nils is NOT driving without me watching him."

"I've been learning." Amelia offered. "I could take over."

Luger looked unsure, then sighed. "Nevermind, I can go a few more hours. I'll be fine, let's hurry on."

By mid-afternoon they had reached the border of the forest. Luger slowed down and parked in a clearing near the entrance. He got out and looked cautiously at the collection of cedar and ash growing about them; the trunks too close to allow the vehicle passage. Aside from the excessive moss all over the ground, there was nothing unusual about the woods. Birds and insects sent their calls out onto the breeze and the leaves rustled in the wind. There was no sign of tracks in the soft soil around them.

"This must be it." Luger said, picking up his bag. "Grab your luggage, we're moving in."

"Oh boy, I love moving into new places!" Wesson said, grabbing his bag and opening the door to get out. "Let's make ourselves right at home!" He prepped his revolver for firing.

Amelia looked at her gun nervously. "Luger? How do I shoot again? I remember you showed me when we took a brief break, but…"

"Aim, pull the trigger. Everything else takes concentration and consciousness of your surroundings." Luger said, looking over as the rest got out. "Got that, Tony? If you ever need to fire, make sure you keep both eyes open."

"Break doesn't use a gun or spells, so we gotta be quick to dodge his blade." Wesson said, walking over to join Luger.

Tony looked around curiously. "I don't see any demons. Where are we s'posed to find them?"

"Underground, like the harpy said." Luger said calmly. "We need to find the biggest boulder and activate the switch on the back. You up for helping out with that?"

"Yeah!"

"We don't have a lot of light left today." Nils pointed out. "Should we camp out; go rock hunting in the morning?"

"Might be a good idea. Let's set up camp." Luger said, nodding. "I'll take first watch."

"Oh no, you're not. You've been driving all day. I'LL take first watch." Wesson said firmly, frowning. "Nils can do after me, and then you can watch. Tony and Amelia can sleep all night."

Luger was about to protest, but a yawn escaped and he looked away, blushing a bit as Amelia giggled. "…Fine, you win, Wesson."

They set up camp and the others climbed into their tents while Wesson sat out in the darkness, listening for anything in the woods around. The moss glowed mysteriously in the gloom, creating extra shadows to mistake. He thought he heard something, but when he looked over, he didn't see anything. "Hn…"

In the shadow of the trees, the camp was being watched by silent eyes that vanished as the figure fled into the woods. Looked like they weren't letting their guards down, so they may have to strike at them later…

The rest of the night was fairly uneventful, and when the sun began to light up the treetops, Luger went to wake the rest of the group. "It's morning, let's pack up and continue our search." He said, opening the tent Wesson and Nils were sharing.

"Nnn…yes, sir." Wesson said, stretching and yawning. Then he sat up and grabbed his hair-tie and scarf, tying up his hair and then tying on the scarf on his head. "C'mon, Nils." He nudged his sleeping companion.

Luger nodded and went to the other tent, where Amelia was sleeping with Tony. "It's time to wake up." He said, not opening the tent to preserve their privacy. "We have to find the captives."

There was a rustle and then Amelia opened the flap of the tent, her hair askew and her nightgown wrinkled. "Alright…give me about ten minutes to change, okay?"

"Try to make it five." Luger said, going to prepare them food. "Wear pants today, not shorts or skirts."

"Got it." She yawned with her hand over her mouth and then closed the tent again, going to get dressed. "Come on, Tony. It's time to wake up."

Luger started to pull out food that didn't need to be cooked. Suddenly, he heard Amelia let out a muffled scream and turned around sharply. "Amelia?!"

"Oh Guardians, how could I let him see me like this?!" He heard Amelia wail from inside the tent. "I look horrible!"

Luger relaxed and turned back to his work, looking a bit confused by her cries.

Wesson and Nils came out a bit later. "Hey, Luger." Wesson said, hunching down next to him. "I was wondering something."

"Oh no, not again." Luger glanced at Wesson. "What is it?"

"If Harpies are all female, who do they reproduce with?" Wesson asked with a serious expression on his face.

Luger looked at Nils. "Does he do this to you a lot?"

"All the time." Nils said, nodding.

Luger sighed. "Well, I'm pretty sure that they're all just created by The Mother…"

"Then, why the eggs?" Wesson asked.

Luger rubbed the back of his head, looking thoughtful. "Uhm…I guess you're right. Then, let's say that they have eggs with Gagison."

"Why?" Wesson asked.

"Because they have the closest anatomy to them." Luger handed him some jerky. "Here, eat. What brought this on?"

"But flight is the only thing they have in common…" Nils argued as an aside.

"Talking with Tony about things being born versus things being made." Wesson said, biting down on the jerky. "It just made me think."

"Well, it was an odd topic to think about so early." Luger said, offering Nils some food.

"I think a lot about a lot." Wesson said, shrugging with jerky sticking out of his mouth.

"I noticed." Amelia said, stepping out with her hair brushed and tied back in a braid, her green blouse tucked into her brown pants and boots. "Sorry, I overheard. Is this good, Luger?"

Luger looked her over and nodded. "Yes, that looks good. Do you have the gun I gave you?" He stood up and walked over to her as she pulled it out of the holster clipped on her belt. "Good. It's loaded?"

"I think so." She struggled to open it and Luger took it to show her how to. "Sorry, I'm new to this."

"Well, you'll learn." Luger smiled and handed it back. "You're loaded. Safety's on, good. Remember to take it off before you try to shoot."

"I know that much." Amelia pouted.

"Morning!" They heard Tony cry as he climbed out fully dressed in the previous day's clothes. He had worn the same outfit for three days now and the wrinkles were beginning to show.

Wesson frowned and went to his tent, coming out with a folded set of clothes. "Tony, change into these. They'll be better than your wrinkled stuff."

Tony took them excitedly. "Are these army dregs?"

"Yeah, they're my spare uniform. I'll need them back later." Wesson said, placing his hands on his hips. "Got that? They're not for keeps."

"Yyyeeess!" Tony barely seemed to register Wesson's condition as he ran back into the tent to change. In record time he was out of his clothes and into Wesson's miniature version of the Adlehyde's steel-blue uniform. He jumped out of the tent and stuck a pose while pretending to hold a gun. "Check it! I'm a bad-ass soldier, special ARMs division! Come and get me demons!"

"How long have you been carrying that around?" Nils asked Wesson, noting his tendency to wear civilian garb at almost all times.

"Sometimes I have to actually look official." Wesson shrugged. "So, I keep it on hand a lot. Never know if you'll be called in for a formal event." He made a 'gag me' face.

"Alright, enough of this." Luger said, walking over to the tents. "Let's empty the tents, take them down, and be off. They won't rescue themselves."

"Right!" Amelia nodded, going to help him.

After they finished packing up, they headed off into the woods again, looking around. They had been fruitlessly searching an hour when Wesson climbed a tree to get a better vantage and his eyes widened. "I think I found our 'rock'! It's pretty big!"

"Where?" Luger asked as Wesson hopped back down.

"This way!" He motioned for them to follow and ran off, the others following close behind.

They ran through the brush and branches past a series of increasingly large boulders until they found, indeed, a very large rock. Luger walked over and examined its back, then ran over to them as it began to shake. "Stand back, that's not a normal rock!" Their party backed up, the ones with guns having them at the ready.

"What the hell happened back there?" Nils cried over the rumble of stone as the 10 foot rock grew and unfolded into a 30 foot giant. It turned around and looked down at them with disdain.

"It's not a rock. It's a rock demon." Luger said, taking the safety off his pistol. "We need to kill it to get into that cave behind it."

"But, the harpy said it was the largest rock!" Amelia cried.

"Did you really expect a demon to tell you the whole truth?" Luger fired at the rock demon. "Kill it! Nils, do you have a grenade good enough for this?"

"Could really use some dynamite." Nils replied as he pulled the pin from a grenade and threw it.

It went off in the air near the giant's knee and blew it apart. The giant cried out and fell down on one knee. He picked up one of his former pieces and threw it square at Nils and Wesson.

"Woah!" They both cried as they sidestepped away in opposite directions.

"Did he just throw his freakin' KNEE at us?!" Wesson asked incredulously as he fired on the demon. "Who do you think bosses this bozo around?"

As if in response, the demon let out a roar and reached up its head, pulling it off and throwing it at Wesson. He let out a squeal as he dodged, the demon's eyes glaring at him.

"Oh, joy. It's still alive." Luger frowned as he fired at the head. "What does it take to kill this guy, if losing its head doesn't do the trick?"

"Creepy!" Amelia fired at the head as well.

"Try the heart." Nils said as he threw a grenade at the other knee.

The headless giant fell down onto its chest as the dismembered head howled. Nils was about to throw another grenade at it when the beast propped itself up onto one of its elbows. The free arm continued to throw things while its nubby legs started kicking like a child having a tantrum. As a result, the ground beneath them began to shake. The head began to roll around by itself; biting or looking to crush any in its path- which at this point happened to be Tony.

"Aaah!" Tony cried and started to run at random until he tripped over a raised root half-buried in the moss. "Help, my foot's caught!"

Luger ran over and knelt to get Tony's foot free, then grabbed him and jumped out of the way just in time to avoid the head rolling into them. Nils threw a bomb at it and it let out a wail as a huge gash appeared in the side of its head.

Meanwhile, rocks began to gather to their location, rolling around with the head. They flew out of the moss and from the nearby hillsides. Some clung together and began to repair the head or reform the detached knees. The rest came down on them like hail. Grenades were thrown that exploded half-way into the mess, which split into even small pieces; and bullets were useless. Then, just as the monster was readying itself to push up onto newly formed knees a bomb connected and blew a gaping hole right into its chest. After a crashing, thrashing fit it finally lay still, exposing a set of stone stairs laying between its legs.

Luger set Tony down. "Everyone alright?"

"Yeah, somehow." Wesson replied, pushing off a rock that had rolled against him. "I think we can go inside now."

"Good." Luger nodded and looked at Tony. "Ready to find your parents?"

"Yeah." Tony nodded, rubbing a small scrape across his forehead.

"Assuming he hasn't caved it in." Nils said. He walked toward the stairs and looked down inside. "Hmmm."

Luger walked over and looked in. "Looks safe enough to enter." He looked at Amelia and Tony. "Stay close, understand? We're going into a demon nest, and this is worse than just the harpies."

Amelia nodded, clutching her Tear Drop worriedly.

"Let's head in." Wesson said, walking over and starting down the steps. Luger nodded and followed, the rest coming in after him with Nils at the rear again.

Though it was a rock stairwell, when they got inside Luger could tell that this was clearly a modified area. Steel covered the walls, and he could see hallways leading off into different areas. "Well, let's not keep them waiting." He aimed his pistol as they heard footsteps approaching at a fast pace. Within seconds a pair of gremlins wielding oversized wrenches came into view, yacking away.

"But see, what I don' understand is why they don't just give us the meats. It's not like we're saving them for a special occasion." The first one said to his companion in a high pitched voice.

"Lord Alhazad says 'e wants 'em, so we gives 'em up!" The second one squeaked back. " 'e must 'ave some kind of special use for them of 'is own!"

"Wha', a special dinna without us?"

" 'old up then!" The second one paused his friend and looked directly at the intruders who were standing at the ready with guns aimed. " 'oo's this then? More meats ta be moved?"

"Naw." The first one replied with a wide grin."Them's dinna'. Boooooys!"

He called over his shoulder. A loud clicking sound came from around one of the side corridors and soon the infiltrators found themselves in the company of three dozen wrench-wielding, overall-wearing gremlins. The first one raised his wrench in the air and cried out: "Chaaaaarge!"

"Fire!" Luger called as he fired on the gremlins. Wesson, Nils and Amelia fired, and struck the gremlins and walls, bullets flying. Amelia was considerably less skilled than the younger two and therefore more prone to miss. She also found the recoil to be harder to suffer than expected.

"Stand back!" Wesson said over his shoulder to Tony, pausing to reload his revolver before firing again.

"Where?" Tony asked. He looked nervously back at the hall behind them which was empty of all but stairs.

"Just make sure not to be hit!" Wesson said, frowning as more gremlins came out. "Guardians, these guys are coming out of the walls!"

"They'll run out soon enough." Luger assured him.

They fought for a little while more with Tony running around passing out the different types of ammo. Fortunately, two of them were using the same type. Eventually, the tides began to turn.

"Oy, this is hairy. Right mate?" The leader gremlin said to his second. The second didn't respond and the leader took a second look to make sure he wasn't dead. He was. "Mother 'elp us. Retreat, retreat!"

The gremlins began to pour back into the halls and crevasses from which they came. Luger and the others shot down most of the stragglers leaving the ones gasping for breath to their fate.

"See? Told you they'd run out. Let's see where they were headed." Luger smiled as he ran on ahead.

"Yeah!" Wesson nodded, running after him with the others. They found themselves at a hallway that split off into two directions, and Wesson looked down each one before shrugging. "Which one?"

"Got a coin?" Amelia suggested.

"Or we could split up." Nils offered. "Your call, Lu."

"Splitting up in Alhazad's place? Never." Luger shook his head. "Let's go this way." He started down the left path.

They could hear people crying out as they walked down the pathway, and then they came to a door, halting their progress. Luger tried it, and then turned to Nils. "Blow it."

Nils motioned for the others to back up a distance. He moved back with them before chucking a grenade at the door, blowing it off its hinges as they heard people screaming on the other end. "Starting to get low on these again. S'been a fun day."

"We'll have to try to get you more." Luger said as he went to look into the room. Luckily, everyone was behind bars away from the door. They looked at him in alarm as he approached. A gremlin ran over to attack, but hardly got a "'Ey!" out before it was down.

Wesson ran over and pulled a switch on the end of the hall, opening the cells. "Okay, you're free!"

Luger stood guard at the door, his pistol ready to fire.

The captives filed out, Amelia leading Tony to them. "Tony, do you see your mother and father here?" She asked, looking at him.

Tony looked around, wavering between an excited smile and a frown. "Hey, Pete! You're okay! And Jenny! Oh, Auntie Miranda, you're oka- MOM!" He ran over to a middle aged woman with hair as red as his own and jumped into her arms.

"Oh, Tony. I thought you were…" She trailed off. She held him tight as they both sobbed.

"Mom, I'm so glad you're safe!" Tony let go of his mother and looked around quizzically. "….Where's Dad? Isn't he here with you?"

She sighed sorrowfully. "No."

Tony looked around more carefully, growing increasingly concerned. "Hey, Luger? None of the men are here!"

"Probably still in that pile." Nils muttered to Wesson.

"There was another direction. They might be there." Wesson offered, walking over to Tony. "Don't worry, we'll find your dad." He smiled and looked at the Tony's mother. "You must be his mom. Hello, I'm Wesson!" He gave a little wave.

"Hello, Wesson." Tony's mother greeted with a smile. "…You're not from Adelaide, are you? Who did you come here with? In fact…" She turned to Luger. "Who are you?"

"We're soldiers, ma'am." Luger said calmly. "Wesson, Nils, and I are all part of a special division of the military."

"That's Nils." Wesson said, pointing to him. "The one by the door is Luger. We came from Adlehyde." He smiled.

"But… you're just children." She said in disbelief.

"Mom, these guys are the most awesome soldiers ever!" Tony exclaimed "And I'm gonna be one of them someday."

"We'll see about that." His mother replied dismissively.

"Hey, Lu?" Nils said as he and Amelia got the captives organized into smaller groups. "We need to be getting out of here soon."

Luger nodded. "We'll take the civilians home and then go back to find the other prisoners." He turned to walk out. "Follow me."

Wesson smiled at Tony's mother. "Don't worry, everything will be okay."

The crowd of 300-odd civilians started to wander out of the prison cells and out into the hall. Wesson watched the rear for once while Luger took the lead. Amelia and Nils continued their shepherding duties. They made it safely to the fork and slowed down to make sure all were accounted for.

"Hey, Luger?" He heard a young voice say.

"Luger, may I speak with you?" Amelia approached him, flanked by Tony.

"You're always free to speak your mind with me, Amelia." Luger replied.

Amelia smiled, feeling reassured of his kind nature. "Luger, why don't we go save the other prisoners first?" She inquired. "By the time we have returned this group home it is likely that the men will be..."

"It might be too late!" Tony cried.

"We can't lead them all safely through the whole fortress." Luger explained calmly. "There are elderly here, and small children. The path is hardly even wide enough for fast movement as it is. We have to get them out of here first."

"But what about my dad?" Tony pleaded.

"So, you suggest we lead them outside, spend a couple days taking them back to town safely, and then come back and hopefully Tony's father will still be alive?" Amelia said with a stamp of the foot.

"Yeah!" Tony mimed her action.

Nils was listening from nearby. He groaned and stomped up to join them. "Look, princess. With all due respect, the men have already been gone a week. Most of them-" He looked toward the mob of concerned families, then back to them. He continued again in as low a voice as he could manage. "Most of them are already dead. ASSUMING Tony's Dad isn't, that he lasted this long, he can probably wait another day."

"Well, you never know. What's here today may be gone tomorrow, hee-hee-hee." They heard a voice giggle as Alhazad appeared above the mob, causing civilians to let out terrified screams and those armed to aim guns. "You've done well, coming this far. However, I have my uses for all of these people, and I can't let you take them. TRASK!" A large lizard appeared in a flash of light and blocked the exit. "If you want so badly to leave, go ahead. IF you can beat my Trask and get them all out. Hee-hee-hee!" He vanished, as suddenly as he had come.

"…Have I ever said how much I hate that guy?" Wesson asked, frowning.

"Well, now it seems we have to fight this one." Luger said, turning to Trask. "Up to it, Nils?"

Nils stared in disbelief, his eye twitching.

"Wesson, guard them. Amelia, come help me." Luger called, firing on Trask. It let out a roar and swung its large tail, forcing both Luger and Nils to duck.

"Coming!" Amelia ran over, ducking the tail as it swung again. "Does he drop these presents on you often?"

"Interesting way of putting it. Yes." Luger said as he fired at Trask again.

Wesson watched them, and then fired at approaching gremlins, protecting the townspeople. More gremlins came out and joined the fray.

Amelia noticed that the people were in danger so she lowered her gun and pulled out a small rock slab, clutching it tightly. "Zeldukes!" She cried out, the room filling with a bright, blue glow. Like before, the townspeople and rescuers felt like they could endure almost anything. Smiling, she put the slab into her shirt and continued firing at Trask.

The gremlins caught on that this wasn't going to be a victory and fled the other way again, yelling "Jus' you wait! 'E'll get ya yet!"

"Yeah, sure." Wesson fired at a retreating gremlin, then looked over as Trask let out a dying roar, its massive body falling to the floor and blocking the route leading to the exit. The ones attacking it jumped back to avoid being struck. As it hit the ground, the cavern shook violently. Luger looked around anxiously, and saw that the steel lining the walls seemed to be keeping it relatively intact and they were still safe.

Wesson walked over to join them, seeing the danger was past. "Maybe we should have someone check for the other prisoners?" He said to Luger. "I mean, Alhazad DID just imply that they're still alive!"

"Really? I assumed he was waxing philosophical." Luger said, turning to him.

"Maybe, but I think it had a double-meaning! I mean, it was so perfectly-timed!"

"Does that mean he was watching us?" One of the townspeople cried.

"Either way, we're going to need the men to help us get past this thing." Amelia said, gesturing to Trask's still, large body. "We may as well go search."

Luger turned to Nils. "Looks like we're all going, after all."

Nils groaned, shaking his head. "This is so stupid! Why can't we just get a couple dozen women to help lift it?" He gestured to the huge mob behind him. He scratched his head thoughtfully before turning back to Luger. "Look, it's gonna take a while to move this guy either way. Why don't a couple of us stay here and work on it while the rest of you go find the other captives?"

Luger sighed and looked between his team and the villagers. "Leaving two behind…who would I leave, and risk them being killed or captured?"

"I'll stay!" Wesson said firmly. "I'll help the women move this guy, while you find Tony's dad and the others!"

"I will, as well!" Amelia insisted. "I can use the rune to protect us, so we'll be fine! Please," she gently touched Luger's arm. "Find the captives, while we ensure there's a way out."

Luger still looked unsure, but nodded. "Very well, Wesson. I leave their safety in your hands." He turned to Nils. "Let's be off, then."

"Good luck!" Amelia smiled.

"Take Tony with you." Tony's mother spoke up. "He can point out his father."

Luger turned to Tony. "Well…you can't really fight. Is this really a good idea?" He turned to Wesson.

"He's a good kid, Luger. He'll be fine." Wesson smiled and turned to start organizing the best way to move the large body blocking their escape.

Luger sighed and turned to Tony. "Alright, but you have to remember that if I say to stop, you stop. If I tell you run, you run. Don't give me any protest, got it?"

"I already know all that." Tony said dismissively.

"Tony!" His mother snapped.

Tony cringed. "Uh… Yes, sir!" He said, nodding enthusiastically.

Luger nodded and then turned to lead the two away from the larger group, heading down the other hall. "I hope they'll be alright with just Wesson…" Luger muttered. "He's already been nearly killed once since we docked. We should drop by the boat after we've taken them home to Adelaide and restock."

"Psh, no kidding." Nils replied. He looked around the hall suspiciously as they walked. "It's too quiet. Alhazad knows we're here. Why is he letting us walk free?"

"I don't know." Luger admitted, looking around as they walked.

They heard voices screaming from down the hall and he nodded to them, picking up the pace. As they headed further down, Luger saw a few gremlins over by a couple doors, one of them in the center of the hall and the other a bit aways from the it on the side.

"This place isn't very big." Luger remarked, looking at Nils. "I imagined it to take longer to find the others, but I suspect they're behind one of those doors. The bigger one might be the lab, so let's check the smaller one, first." He stepped out and fired on the gremlins before they noticed him there. Once they were downed, he walked over and tried the side-door, shaking his head. "Nils, I'll need you to blow this door." He stepped back, going to Tony's side.

Nils stood back aways and threw a grenade, muttering something about needing more appropriate explosives and the surprising need for them on an escort mission. The door blew into pieces with the majority of it flying into the room. They heard a distinct clang as the door slamming into metal bars.

They heard screeches and then seven Dryads came out, eager to kill the intruders. Luger moved in front of Tony and fired at one of them, the Dryad letting out a cry as it died. "Not much longer, now. These guys are guarding something!"

"Dad, just hang on!" Tony called.

The young men made short work of the remaining Dryads with a series of well-aimed shots. As soon as the battle had been won they started into the door with Luger taking a cautious lead. Tony followed him closely behind. Luger had just given the all-clear when they heard a raspy voice.

"Who's there?"

Luger looked towards the voice to see a middle-aged man looking out the bars of a cell, others in the room doing the same. He counted maybe half-a-dozen, one of which was a blonde dressed in clothing not native to the Milama/Adelaide area. "Tony, is your father here?" He asked, looking at him.

"Tony, is that you?" The raspy voice called out.

Tony, looking a little unsure, stepped up closer to see the prisoner's features better in the dim light. Then he laughed for joy and ran over to the man's cell. "Dad!"

The father and son exchanged the tightest hugs they could through the bars, looking each other over to confirm health.

"Dad, we've gotta get you out of here!" Tony said, looking desperately at the cell door for a lock to open.

"Don't forget these other guys." His father reminded as his companions waved.

"Want me to blow these doors too?" Nils asked Luger enthusiastically.

"No, you'll hurt the captives." Luger shook his head, looking around. "There's a door at the end, there. Go inside and find the switch while I check on the health of the others."

"Right." Nils acknowledged. He went out the door and headed for the end of the hall.

Meanwhile, Luger went to Tony's father. "It's alright, sir. We'll have you out of here in no time. How many of you were taken? There seem to be very few left."

"That happens, when you're at the mercy of Alhazad." The strangely-dressed blonde said glumly. "We had about two dozen men on our scout troop, but now there's so little of us…"

Luger walked over to the man. "You don't seem to be from Adelaide. Who are you?"

"I am Steven Browne, from the Kingdom of Heralda. My people were brutally destroyed by the demons, and I am one of few refugees that managed to escape." He looked down sadly. "My entire family was slaughtered before my eyes. I was too late to stop them…"

Luger looked at him with concern, then stepped back as the door unlocked. "Nils found the switch. Let's get you all home!"

The men filed out, letting out cheers and cries of gratitude. Luger looked over to see Nils coming out with a large crate. "What's that, Nils?" He asked.

"Their stuff." Nils replied as he busted the wooden box open with a good strong kick to the side.

A random assortment of weapons, cheap body armor, and food spilled out in front of them. Strangely enough, a rapier was also among the mix of small pistols and hunting rifles. The newly freed men scrambled for the contents and passed them out to each other.

"Steven!" One of the men cried as he passed the rapier over.

Steven took it and held it close. "Thank you, my friend. I thought for sure that Break had taken it for his private collection."

"Were it any fancier, he would've." Luger remarked, looking at it. "You practice the archaic arts?"

"It's not 'archaic' in Heralda." Steven said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, sorry." Luger rubbed the back of his head.

"Hey, Dad. Can I have one?" Tony asked hopefully.

"Haha, maybe when you're older, son."

"It's high time we got out of here." One of the other captives said. "By now the demons must have attacked the rest of the men," Nils jerked and sucked in his breath. "and I shiver to think what may have befallen our families."

"But, they must be here already." A third man reasoned. "You boys must've come here with them, right?" He looked back and forth between Luger and Nils, feeling less assured by their silence.

"Your families are near the entrance with our other two comrades. I'm afraid that we found the bodies of several of your men about ten miles west of Adelaide." Luger said, shaking his head. "They'd…been arranged by Break and Alhazad. I'm sorry."

"No, I should be the one apologizing." Steven said, looking down. "I thoughtlessly led them into battle, not thinking of what might befall them. I was so driven by vengeance against the demons…" He placed his hand on his face. "I have shamed myself."

"You can redeem yourself by helping them all get out of here safely." Luger said, smiling. "Let's hurry!" He turned and led them to the hall, the group stopping short as they heard Alhazad's giggling.

"Didn't I say that you weren't going anywhere?" Alhazad appeared in front of them, blocking the way to the hall. "I still have many uses for you, hee-hee-hee. And once I have captured you, the same will happen to the little one you left to guard the women, hee-hee-hee!"

"Don't even think about it!" Luger pulled out his pistol, aiming it at him. "I'll stop you here!"

"We all will!" Steven drew his rapier, the rest of the men raising their weapons. "You'll not touch those precious to us again!"

Alhazad giggled again and orb-like objects came out of his cloak, firing lasers at the group. "Very well, then. How is it put? 'En garde'? Hee-hee-hee!"

The battle was long with lasers and bullets flying every which-way. Tony dodged and ducked and helped refill weapons. The townsmen fired at his main body while Steven, with expert agility, danced around the crossfire and stabbed Alhazad from the sides and back. Luger and Nils went to working taking out the lasers before joining the other men against his main body. Alhazad…laughed.

After a while, Luger noticed he was getting low on ARM shells and sighed heavily. "Great. Let's hope this is the last demon I have to fight in here." He muttered, firing at Alhazad. Once he had used them all up, he lowered his pistol and let Steven take his place.

Steven ran forward, striking at Alhazad with his rapier. Alhazad let out a creepy giggle and then backed off. "Well, look at the time! I'd better be going, hee-hee-hee. I would advise you do the same, if you want to be out of here within thirty minutes."

"What happens in thirty minutes?" Luger asked, frowning.

"The whole place goes BOOM, hee-hee-hee!" Alhazad vanished in a flash of white light.

There was a stunned silence, and then some of the men begin to panic.

"We have to get out of here NOW!"

"Where's the exit?"

"What about our families? Are they still inside!?"

"Are we all gonna die!?" Tony cried out among the ruckus.

"There's no time to get everyone-"

A shot rang through the air and everyone was stunned into silence.

"We are NOT going to die." Luger said firmly, lowering his pistol. "We are going to get out of here within the time-limit, and it would be a LOT easier if you would NOT panic." Luger walked over to the door. "Your families are at the entrance, waiting with my colleagues. Let's go join them! Follow me!" He went out into the hall.

The men still looked freaked out, but when he looked in and said "That means NOW!" they quickly followed suit, heading down the hall after him. One of the men started to head for the large door, but Nils grabbed his arm and pulled him along after Luger.

"Like herding cats…" Luger muttered, pausing to make sure no one had gone the wrong way. "Let's GO, people! We have twenty-five minutes left!" He glanced towards the exit. "Taking everyone would have gotten us all killed, with how much trouble I'm having with only this group. What was she thinking?" He muttered, then headed off once they'd joined him.

Gremlins ran around in a panic. Occasionally they challenged the human party, but they mostly zipped left and right trying to grab things before they headed for the exit. With 15 minutes left they reached the cross-section. They found the giant body of Trask shoved roughly over to one side of the hallway he was blocking, as well as recent signs of people. There were bits of jewelry, toys, shoes, or other things that had been on the townsfolk's person when they were captured that they just couldn't go back for. In fact, the trail of small objects led straight down the hall from whence they came. In the direction of the exit it led to a row of stalwart dryads and the gremlins that had been strong-armed into blocking the remaining captive's escape.

"Fight to the last." The dryad nudged the reluctant gremlin.

"Can I?" Nils asked Luger.

"Do it." Luger nodded, stepping back and motioning for the others to do the same.

With an excitable grin, Nils stepped forward and pulled the pins out of a series of grenades before chucking them. They exploded together in the wide-eyed faces of the demons, smearing their bits and leaves all over the walls. The men looked on, somewhere between shocked and appalled. Tony wasn't sure whether to be grossed out or impressed, and had a wide-eyed nervous laugh. Steven looked shocked and a little scared, averting his eyes with a cringe.

"Let's go." Luger motioned for them to continue, and they rushed on through the slippery remains.

"How can you…just walk on after seeing that?!" A younger man asked. "That was horrible!"

"That's the battlefield. I've seen that and more since I started fighting." Luger said calmly.

"That was still horrible." Steven said, glancing back at the remains. "I've never seen a grenade used for killing living things before…"

"Wanna see it again?" Nils offered.

"No time for that." Tony's dad said. "That looks like the exit, and something doesn't sound right."

The stairs came up in front of them, inviting and reassuring. However, they heard screaming and the sounds of metal and gunfire coming from above.

"That could be a problem." Nils said.

"Not if we're there to help them." Another man said confidently as he armed his gun.

"Not the battle." Nils continued. "I mean getting everyone out of there before the explosion goes off and collapses the ground underneath them." A sudden thought came to him and he looked at Luger. "We better radio Wess."

"Might be a good idea." Luger said, pulling out his radio.

Outside, Wesson and Amelia were surrounded on all sides by gremlins that had run out of the soon-to-be-destroyed lab. Panicked people were making due using the surrounding rocks as weapons.

"Geez, do you all really want this group THAT badly?" Wesson said. "Come on!"

"Zeldukes!" Amelia raised the rune, and a bright blue flash lit up the woods.

"Thanks!" Wesson fired on more of the gremlins, then reached down with one hand to his radio when he heard it squawking. "Wesson here! What's up?"

"Wesson, you need to get everyone out of the woods now. This place is going to blow in ten minutes." Luger informed him.

"Why didn't you tell Nils not to set a bomb?!" Wesson cried. "I'm a little busy right now!"

"Oh, sure. If something blows up I'm to blame!" He heard Nils cry from the nearby stairway.

They and the men had just escaped and were beginning to join the fray. Nils was standing near Luger, who was instructing him to lead people out.

Wesson clipped the radio to his belt again and kept firing at the demons. "Get them out of here, I'll hold them off and then follow!"

"We have ten minutes, Wesson, we're ALL going NOW!" Luger said, running over and firing at a few gremlins to get them out of the way. "That's an order!"

Wesson fired at a few more gremlins and then followed Luger through the woods. The gremlins caught on that it was almost blow-time and scattered, letting out screeches as they ran from the woods.

The group escaped the woods just in time to hear explosions begin to go off. Luger pulled a few stragglers out of the woods just in time to avoid them being burnt to a crisp as the forest set aflame.

As the townspeople reunited, Steven joined Luger and the others by the woods, watching the fire. "I hope…no one was in his lab." He said softly.

"Alhazad is such a petty piece of shit." Luger growled. "If he can't have them, no one can? Such a selfish asshole." He turned and walked off to join the townspeople.

Wesson rubbed the back of his head and turned to Steven. "So…who are you?"

"I'm Steven, a refugee of Heralda." Steven replied, watching the flames.

"Oh, cool. I'm Wesson, a soldier." He looked at his revolver. "Guess we should hit the ship before going to Milama, huh? We're almost completely out…"

Nils was also scratching his head while looking at the SUV that had luckily been just outside of the fire's devastation. "Man, this is gonna take a lot of trips…"


End file.
